Scientific Frontiers - Retrospective analysis of e-commerce reviews - Novozymes

Experiences of a probiotic food supplement: retrospective analysis of e-commerce reviews​

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Objective

Placebo-controlled trials in healthy people indicated Bifidobacterium longum​ 1714™ may improve perceived stress and anxiety(2), and change brainwave activity associated with energy/vitality(3). This retrospective analysis of e-commerce reviews explored reasons and experiences of individuals who purchased a food supplement (Zenflore®, produced for PrecisionBiotics Group Ltd, Ireland) containing Bifidobacterium longum​ 1714 and B vitamins (Probiotic).

Method

Text from eligible reviews of the Probiotic (n=62; September 2018-22) was exported from an online retailer. Codes assigned captured reason(s) for use, and health outcomes (categorised positive, negative, or no perceived effect). Another researcher independently assigned codes for 50% of reviews for accuracy.

Results

79% of reviews reported ≥1 positive outcome associated with the Probiotic (Table). 37% reported reason(s) for use, commonly feeling anxious (46%), difficulty sleeping (29%), feeling stressed (25%) and busy work/life (25%).

Table. Common positive health outcomes coded in reviews

Conclusions

Benefits associated with the Probiotic included improved sleep, mood, feelings of stress and anxiousness. These real-world data suggest the Bifidobacterium longum​ 1714 strain could be incorporated into first-line lifestyle approaches to support aspects of psychological health, such as everyday stress and sleep.

References

1) Vijaykumar S, McCready J, Graham PL, et al. That gut feeling: public perceptions of media coverage and science surrounding probiotic products. British Food Journal. 2021;124(11):3428-3446. (2) Allen AP, Hutch W, Borre YE et al. Bifidobacterium longum​ 1714 as a translational psychobiotic: modulation of stress, electrophysiology and neurocognition in healthy volunteers. Translational Psychiatry. 2016;6:e939. (3) Wang H, Braun C, Murphy EF, et al. Bifidobacterium longum​ 1714™ Strain Modulates Brain Activity of Healthy Volunteers During Social Stress. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2019;114(7):1152-1162. This research was funded by Novozymes Onehealth.