A new, effective, natural product for weight support – article

Probiotics are widely popular with consumers and physicians alike. Best known for promoting gut health, as well as a variety of other benefits, the probiotic category is about to be re-defined by Linpharma by introducing JBD 301, a probiotic for weight control.

Linpharma Inc., the Florida-based nutraceutical company, is launching  a patented novel probiotic formulated to promote weight management. JBD 301, developed by German manufacturer Microbiotica GmbH, helps manage weight, while also supporting metabolic factors including maintaining normal cholesterol and triglycerides. That’s in addition to the overall intestinal health benefits associated with existing probiotics.

JBD 301 has been shown in human and animal studies to help support weight loss safely and effectively. It works by inhibiting the absorption of fatty acids in the gut. The patented and custom-selected probiotic microbes of JBD 301 help eliminate dietary fat, which normally become free fatty acids (FFAs) and glycerides in the small intestine. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, researchers found that JBD 301, with its ability to actively remove intestinal FFAs,[1] reduced weight gain in overweight subjects continuing their normal diet. These effects were prior to the clinical study observed in established preclinical models.

JBD 301 is fundamentally different in its mechanism of action from any current FDA-approved prescription drugs. It is not a drug and it produces healthful benefits without the oily, loose stools, leakage, abdominal pain, or other side effects commonly associated with weight-loss medications. JBD 301 is offered in a capsule taken by mouth, in contrast to regular injections required by most weight-control medications.

Research shows probiotics help manage weight

Over the last 15 years, researchers have firmly established that gut microbiota play a vital role in the regulation of body weight, including the study that started this maturing field of investigation — a paper published in the prestigious journal Nature that concluded, weight “has a microbial component, which might have potential therapeutic implications.”[2]

Such findings eventually led scientists at Microbiotica GmbH on a search to identify a strain that would essentially capture, or absorb, FFAs, the major fat fuel in the body before they are deposited in adipose tissue or body fat. Elevated levels of FFAs in the blood are associated with many weight conditions and other challenging metabolic factors.[3]

Researchers screened 20,000 bacterial strains from healthy human feces for their strain-specific ability to absorb FFAs, eventually identifying more than a dozen candidates. They then selected four of the most promising Lactobacilli strains for further study — all of which demonstrated the ability to reduce body fat and body weight gain in mice by strain-specific FFA absorption. These four strains — JBD 301, along with JBD 302, JBD 305 and JBD 309 — also benefited normal triglyceride numbers, cholesterol and blood glucose metrics.

Using plant power to metabolize fat

Another strong wellness trend among consumers is a focus on anything plant-based. There's good reason for that: Scientists studying polyphenols, natural plant compounds, are discovering a number of health benefits related to metabolic health[4]^,[5]

Much attention has been devoted to a class of polyphenols called flavonoids, which occur in a wide variety of foods, from dark chocolate to various kinds of fruit. Over the last decade, several studies have investigated a polyphenolic dietary compound called Sinetrol^® for its potential to help manage weight. Created by scientists at Fytexia, a French life sciences company that develops active nutrients for healthcare products, Sinetrol^® is a mixture of flavonoids, including anthocyanins and flavanones, from citrus-based foods like oranges, grapefruit and guarana. It is made by physically processing the juice, peels, and seeds of these fruits through crushing, cold-pressure, extraction, centrifugation, filtration and spray-drying.

Animal studies have helped spotlight the mechanisms of action of Sinetrol^®, showing that it essentially helps burn fat by increasing the body’s resting metabolism. The extracted flavonoids do this by mimicking the conversion of white fat cells (storage adipocyte) to brown-in-white (beige) fat-burning cells.[6]^,[7]

The beneficial health effects of Sinetrol have been studied in more than 300 human subjects across four clinical studies. In total, these studies showed Sinetrol reduced body weight, body fat mass and BMI reaching a healthier body composition; improved inflammatory and oxidative status; and significantly reduced abdominal fat and waist circumference, as well as maintaining lean mass.[8]^,[9],[10],[11]

Probiotics and polyphenols are even better together

Linpharma is partnering with Fytexia and Microbiotica in an international collaboration to bring the combined benefits of these two natural weight management supplements to the market. The synergy is multi-dimensional. JBD 301 helps prevent fat accumulation, while Sinetrol^® promotes cellular metabolic activity to burn existing fat deposits. Beyond that, other research has demonstrated that polyphenols may improve digestion by supporting beneficial gut bacteria while offering antimicrobial protection against bad ones — opening the potential for unique health claims and new markets.[12]^,[13]

The probiotics in the JBD products line are not considered new dietary ingredients under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, enabling brands and manufacturers to begin formulating with JBD 302 immediately to meet the emerging market demand for natural weight management solutions.

Consumers already have a strong connection between probiotics and gut health, making weight management a natural category for expanding this established market. Probiotics account for nearly 60% of the $4 billion gastrointestinal health market, growing a healthy 9% in 2021, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. The market numbers are even more impressive zooming into weight management specifically. Lumina Intelligence, which tracks e-commerce markets, recently reported a 500% increase in online reviews for probiotic weight management products.[14]

Meanwhile, sales of supplements targeting weight loss and metabolic health are trending upward. NBJ predicts the non-meal supplements market for weight management will hit nearly $2 billion in sales by 2025. Consumers are also highly interested in natural botanical products like Sinetrol for health and wellness, as evidenced by a record-breaking 17.3% increase in herbal supplement sales in 2020.[15] In fact, herbal formulations make up the leading sales category in weight management after meal replacement products and sports supplements, according to NBJ.

Together or separately, JBD strains and Sinetrol^® can offer consumers a natural, healthy way to manage their weight thanks to fat-blocking probiotics and fat-metabolizing plants.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

1 Chung HJ et al. “Intestinal removal of free fatty acids from hosts by Lactobacilli for the treatment of obesity.” FEBS Open Bio. 2016 Jan 18;6(1):64-76.

[2] Rey LE et al. “Microbial ecology: human gut microbes associated with obesity.” Nature. 2006 Dec 21;444(7122):1022-3.

[3] Boden G. “Obesity and Free Fatty Acids (FFA).” Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2008 Sep; 37(3): 635–ix.

4 Kim Y, Keogh JB and Clifton PM. “Polyphenols and Glycemic Control.” Nutrients. 2016 Jan; 8(1): 17.

[5] Tangney C and Rasmussen HE. “Polyphenols, Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Disease.” Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2013 May; 15(5): 324.

[6] Yoo JM et al. “Effects of Sinetrol-XPur on leptin-deficient obese mice and activation of cAMP-dependent UCP-2.” J Korean Soc Food Sci Nutr. 2016;45:484–491.

[7] Lee M et al. “The effects of Sinetrol-XPur on lipolysis of leptin-deficient obese mice.” J Korean Soc Food Sci Nutr. 2017;46:389–393.

[8] Dallas C et al. “Lipolytic effect of a polyphenolic citrus dry extract of red orange, grapefruit, orange (SINETROL) in human body fat adipocytes. Mechanism of action by inhibition of cAMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE).” Phytomedicine 2008;15:783–792.

[9] Dallas C et al. “Clinical study to assess the efficacy and safety of a citrus polyphenolic extract of red orange, grapefruit, and orange (Sinetrol-XPur) on weight management and metabolic parameters in healthy overweight individuals.” Phytother Res 2014;28:212–218.

[10] Cases J et al. “A 12-week randomized double-blind parallel pilot trial of Sinetrol XPur on body weight, abdominal fat, waist circumference, and muscle metabolism in overweight men.” Int J Food Sci Nutr 2015;66:471–477.

[11] Park SJ et al. “Efficacy and Safety of Sinetrol-XPur on Weight and Body Fat Reduction in Overweight or Obese Adults: A 12-Week, Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel, Placebo-Controlled Trial.” J. Med. Food. 2020 23:3, 335-342.

[12] Laparra JM and Sanz Y. “Interactions of gut microbiota with functional food components and nutraceuticals.” Pharmacol Res. 2010 Mar;61(3):219-25.

[13] Marin L et al. “Bioavailability of dietary polyphenols and gut microbiota metabolism: antimicrobial properties.” Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:905215.

[14] Hancocks N. “Probiotics see biggest ever online surge in 2020.” NutraIngredients, Mar 5, 2021.

[15] Smith et al. “Herbal Supplement Sales in US Increase by Record-Breaking 17.3% in 2020.” Herbalgram. Issue 131, 2021.