The SA Journal Diabetes & Vascular Disease Vol 14 No 1 (July 2017)

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40 VOLUME 14 NUMBER 1 • JULY 2017
DIABETES NEWS SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE
New research from the Department of
Food and Nutritional Sciences, University
of Reading, UK and OptiBiotix Health has
shown that a naturally synthesised prebiotic
can selectively increase the growth of the
cholesterol-reducing probiotic, Lactobacillus
plantarum LPLDL
®, as well as enhancing its
cholesterol-reducting activity.
This is a ground-breaking development
in microbiome modulation, as it is the first
time that research has demonstrated the
formulation of a truly synergistic synthesised
prebiotic that is capable of boosting the
health benefit of a particular probiotic. The
research was presented by Dr Sofia Kolida
at the International Scientific Conference on
Probiotics and Prebiotics (IPC) in Budapest
on 20 June 2017.
New research shows that synthetic prebiotic boosts growth of
cholesterol-reducing bacteria in the human microbiome
The researchers used reverse-enzyme
technology to synthesise a prebiotic,
LPGOS, to selectively enhance the growth
and cholesterol-reducing activity of the
LPLDL
® probiotic. LP LDL
® was selected from
over 4 000 other bacterial strains because
of its ability to lower both cholesterol and
blood pressure. In a previous study, it was
found to reduce low-density lipoprotein
(LDL) cholesterol by up to 13.9% and blood
pressure by 5.1%. When combined with
the LPGOS prebiotic, LP LDL
® was found to
increase the cholesterol-lowering effect by
over three-fold in a 24-hour period.
This discovery indicates that a new kind
of healthcare supplement may be possible:
a combination of a prebiotic and a probiotic,
which are both targeted at the same
healthcare benefit. This kind of supplement
would be far more effective than existing
probiotics at achieving particular health
benefits. The researchers suggest that
this new healthcare supplement would be
called an ‘OptiBiotic’.
Dr Sofia Kolida, who presented the
research at IPC 2017, commented,
‘Using β ‐galactosidases expressed by
LPLDL
® (LPGOS) we achieved the synthesis
of GOS modulator that works in true
synergy with the parent strain, not only
increasing its population but also impacting
on the biological activity the probiotic was
selected for. This is the first time that true
synergy has been demonstrated for a
synbiotic.’
OptiBiotix, a world leader in microbiome
modulation, has signed a three-year
supply agreement with HLH BioPharma
Vertriebs GmbH for its cholesterol-reducing
LPLDL
® probiotic supplement. Research into
the LPLDL
® probiotic, presented at Vitafoods
Europe in May 2017, demonstrated that it is
a safe natural ingredient that reduces blood
pressure and cholesterol, key determinates
of cardiovascular risk. The probiotic was
found to reduce LDL cholesterol by up to
13.9% and blood pressure by 5.1%. This
research was carried out by Glenn Gibson,
Professor of Food Microbiology, head of
Food Microbial Sciences at the University of
Reading, UK.
Stephen O’Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix,
commented, ‘The development of our LPLDL
®
probiotic product has made cholesterol
reduction through microbiome modulation
a reality, and we are thrilled to be working
with HLH, one of Europe’s leading suppliers
to the pharmacy market, on this product. The
ability to create designer active ingredients
OptiBiotix signs major supply agreement for its microbiome-modulating
cholesterol-reduction probiotic
that can modify an individual’s microbiome
to improve health places OptiBiotix at the
forefront of global microbiome research and
product development, and we anticipate
many more opportunities for the LPLDL
®
probiotic.’
Microbiome modulators in the form of
probiotic supplements, such as LPLDL
®, may
be the way forward for managing long-term
conditions such as cardiovascular disease.
The reduction of both LDL cholesterol
and blood pressure is key to managing
the risk of cardiovascular disease. The
combination of high blood pressure and
cholesterol deposition may lead to chronic
inflammation and hardening of the walls of
the blood vessels, which greatly increases
the probability of suffering a cardiovascular
event. Recent research, presented at the
2016 European Society of Cardiology
Congress, demonstrated that reducing LDL
cholesterol and blood pressure can reduce
the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease by
nearly 90%.1
The supply agreement grants HLH a
non-exclusive license to produce, package
and commercialise products containing the
LPLDL
® strain, and follows HLH’s recent order
for 100 000 units of LPLDL
®. HLH has over
20 years’ experience in the distribution of
probiotic and natural products under the
brand names Lactobact® and Casa Sana®
and is one of Europe’s leading suppliers of
probiotics to the pharmacy market. The
company is based in Germany and has
established an international reputation for
providing high-quality and scientifically
validated innovative products. LPLDL
® will
be supplied as bulk capsules, which will
be packaged and branded as part of HLH’s
market-leading Lactobact® brand.
1. Ference B, et al. A naturally randomized trial
comparing the effect of long-term exposure to
LDL-C, lowerSBP,orbothontheriskofcardiovascular
disease. European Society of Cardiology Congress
2016; August 29, 2016; Rome, Italy. Abstract 3163.
ESCTV/142571#.WP8ZctLyuUk