So how do you know which probiotic to choose as they’re all so different? Science-based multi-strain probiotics with a LIVE bacteria culture (or cocktail) are the most effective.

One of the questions we are frequently asked is “are the probiotics in Symprove alive?”

The simple answer is YES and there are good reasons for this.

The probiotics in Symprove are alive because they are naturally occurring and carefully nurtured during our production process to make sure they are in peak condition when you drink Symprove. In order for this to happen, there are some important elements that need to take place. Here we explain what these are.

For probiotics to have any reasonable effect they must be ALIVE and ready to work from the moment they are swallowed. For starters, this works best if these friendly bugs are delivered in a water-based liquid, and protected as they travel through the digestive tract. Symprove bacteria are protected by our Unique Delivery System (UDS™) and delivered safely to the gut, without triggering digestion. Once these multi strain bacteria reach the gut they establish and colonise (multiply) rapidly. This unique process takes less than 20 minutes which is very fast.

Dairy-based probiotics trigger digestion which involves the release of stomach acids to break down food. However, this causes havoc for probiotic bacteria as they do not like extreme conditions, and become weakened or destroyed by the release of these acids.

When it comes to freeze-dried bacteria, they are subject to extremes in the manufacturing process and become temporarily freeze-died (whoops, did we forget the ‘r’?) and obviously are not able to do a thing until they are mixed with fluid. This manufacturing process can also cause the hair-like structures on the surface of the bacteria to break, making it very difficult for these bacteria to adhere to the gut wall.

Once the powder or capsule is swallowed, the bacteria usually manage to pass through the stomach without too much difficulty, however, it takes them a few hours to come to life again with the help of fluids (rehydration). By this time many will have travelled through the areas in the gut where they need to get to work, and yes you’ve guessed it, they pass out in your stools.

At Symprove HQ, we’re really careful not to subject our “friendly” bacteria to any extremes. They’re carefully nurtured throughout the production process and even have their own unique natural food source. You could equate this to ‘fine dining’. Part of the process includes a few days ‘napping’ before our friendly Symprove live bacteria are bottled. This process has been a 5* Star journey from the start and gives them the best chance to continue their 5* Star journey inside your digestive tract.

Start your day with Symprove and by the time you’ve prepared breakfast, our live Symprove bacteria will be well on their way to where they need to be.

Buy Symprove now at www.symprove.com and feel the difference.

This post is part of the “How fit is your probiotic?” series.

So what does this mean? To help us illustrate all the characteristics of an effective science-based probiotic, we came up with the Symprove Cloud. Over the coming months, we’ll cover the key characteristics mentioned on the Cloud, and why these are important consideration to make when choosing a probiotic.

Here are some of our recommendations to think about for starters:

• Is the probiotic alive?
• Does it have the ability to start work as soon as it is swallowed? This is known as being ‘activated’.
• Does the probiotic trigger digestion in the stomach?
• Can these sensitive microorganisms survive the harsh conditions in the stomach?
• Do the bacteria survive extreme temperature changes well?
• Have the bacteria been freeze-dried causing them to weaken as a result of sub zero temperatures?
• How do freeze-dried bacteria ‘wake up’? And how long does this take?
• Is the type of probiotic ie its format, able to work at its very best for you?

We’ll be answering these questions and more over the coming months, with the help of the Symprove Cloud, so you are completely in the know when it comes to selecting an effective probiotic.

Over the last decade, Symprove has worked hard to develop a probiotic that is truly fit for role to support gut health. We believe that probiotic companies have a responsibility to deliver ‘what it says on the tin’, or in our case, the bottle!

Symprove your health!

As a probiotic food supplement, Symprove is regulated by the Food Standards Agency and like any other probiotic product on the market today, cannot make health claims or mention symptoms or condition. The only way a company can, is by going through the official channels and these are directed by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). Even then, companies have to put in specific health claims for approval and to date, not one probiotic company has been given the thumbs-up. It’s tough and particularly if companies have carried out extensive human studies, as the rules say, you can’t refer to studies either. Getting through the EFSA process can also take some time, anything from 6 months to a year.

Having said all this, the company Symprove feel strongly, that a reasonable amount of regulation is needed in its industry sector. “As an ethical company, we have a responsibility to our customers and the industry as a whole, and whilst we can’t make health claims right now, we’re working hard towards proving the efficacy of Symprove. Tough measures are needed and some probiotic companies recognise the importance and value of meeting and managing consumer expectations,” says CEO Mike Butler. He went on to say, “Of course, it’s a challenge and an unusual position to be in, as not many companies or industry sectors are restricted in the way they can talk about product benefits so we have to try that much harder. We very much rely on our customers spreading the word.”

Of course, there are lots of ways for people to find out how to assess which probiotics are best for them. The FAO/WHO also gives specific guidelines but in essence, if you follow these principles, you’ll be able to make informed decisions:

Choose a probiotic which doesn’t trigger digestion in the stomach. Any probiotic contained in yoghurt or a food does.

Make sure the company talks about the delivery system and what this does to ‘safely’ transport bacteria through the stomach to the gut. Probiotic bacteria struggle in acidic environments and find it difficult to cope with any extremes, needing some sort of protection or shield.

Choose a probiotic where the bacteria are ‘alive’ and ready to get to work from the moment they are swallowed and opt for multiple strains too. Individual numbers of bacteria are one thing but rather than focus on tens of billions, think quality and colonies – or CFUs – and what the bacteria are able to do to establish these units efficiently and quickly.

Think carefully before buying freeze-dried probiotics. Taking live bacteria down to temperatures of (minus) -80⁰C affects their functionality and they are no longer ‘alive’. Hanging around in this state for any length of time can’t be good, and when swallowed, for many it’s some hours before they can do anything. When capsules or powders are rehydrated, many of them have lost their ‘limbs’ or pili. Research has shown that pili are believed to play a role in helping bacteria to adhere to the gut wall. Without them probiotic bacteria often end up way beyond where they need to be in the gut and cannot colonise.

And if companies do end up talking about the research they’ve done – make sure it’s done to Rome III criteria. This means studies have been carried out to the highest clinical standards – on humans – in spite of being a probiotic and you could say in this case, it’s even more important too!

How fit is your probiotic?

Discover why it’s important to be armed with the right information & knowledge

Find out why it’s vital to understand the key characteristics and qualities in choosing a science-based probiotic. Join Founder Barry Smith of Biotech Company Symprove, who has been involved in advancing nutritional science for more than 25 years. A natural presenter, Barry’s talk will cover probiotic landscape, formulation and the importance of selecting a science-based probiotic to support healthcare.

In practice

The proof of the pudding is in the eating …. or drinking as in the case of Symprove, and the company are delighted to be joined on the night by Laura Currie, Nutritional Therapist to share her experiences of Symprove and what it means for clients. Dianne Taylor, Nutritionist 4 Your Good Health will also step up and talk about practitioner support offered by the Symprove team, why it’s different visiting Symprove HQ, her journey so far and how practitioners can benefit. There will also be lots of opportunity for questions too.

When and where?

Wednesday, 2 November 6.30-8.30pm, CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine), London W1, nearest tube Oxford Circus. Practitioners and members of the public all welcome.

Registration

You’ll need to register here http://howfitisyourprobiotic.com so you receive a 500ml bottle of Symprove on the night (retails at £19.50) … we need to make sure we bring enough!

We look forward to meeting you on Wednesday.

A multi-award winning event, the team organisers at Diversified Business Communications UK have arranged an impressive line-up of speakers forcamexpo this year who are covering many aspects of complementary medicine,health and nutrition. It goes without saying that many practitioners recognise the importance of powerful multi strain probiotics to support digestive functions and immune health. Word is spreading fast about the importance of taking a probiotic such as Symprove that is live and activated. Practitioners are quick to realise what a difference this format makes to the way the digestive system responds to Symprove and the impact it has for people who are looking for responsive ways to support digestive functions, nutritional health and wellbeing.

As a biotech company with strong scientific credentials, Symprove has spent the last 10 months introducing its live activated probiotic to health practitioners around the UK and received extraordinary interest. With no other activated multi strain probiotic like Symprove in the market worldwide, the Symprove format is a new kind of probiotic for healthcare practitioners and consumers alike. Live and activated from the moment it is swallowed, Symprove’s unique delivery system protects and carries 4 strains of probiotic bacteria directly to the gut without triggering digestion in the stomach. This is an important distinction to make and enables Symprove probiotic bacteria to work efficiently without being weakened or destroyed from acid attacks. These proprietary strains of probiotic bacteria begin to establish and colonise within 20 minutes of being swallowed which is faster than any other multi strain probiotic on the market today.

Now working closely with many leading healthcare practitioners who quickly realised the advantages of a live activated multi strain probiotic, they actively recommend Symprove to their clients as a daily supplement as well to address specific needs. Many of these clients have since been in touch with Symprove offering testimonials so that other people can hear what Symprove has done for them. Symprove are also delighted to be joined by customers during camexpo including Dianne Taylor, nutritionist and naturopath 4yourgoodhealth, who are keen to share their experiences of Symprove with other practitioners and visitors.

“When I learned of the technology of Symprove I got really excited,” said Dianne. “At last a probiotic that I could give to my clients that would show results and I was eager to spread the word. The fact that it’s a non-dairy liquid with bacteria that are very much alive and start to multiply within minutes really impressed me. To start with, I tried it on myself, my husband and a few of my clients for different digestive health reasons and the results were almost immediate.

The diets that we eat today have so much sugar in so many different forms. When we eat we are giving bullets to the oversized enemy army of bad bacteria. That army needs to be defeated by increasing the numbers of good bacteria to improve the immune system, digestive health and overall wellbeing. The best way to do that is to drink Symprove daily on an empty stomach.”

Symprove probiotic bacteria are nurtured on an extract of germinated barley – the substrate – which has been denatured during the sterilisation process thus making Symprove gluten free. As a water-based product, it’s also a good alternative for people who are lactose intolerant or have other allergies. Every 50ml serving of Symprove (about an egg cupful) contains at least 10 billion live activated probiotic bacteria.

For those practitioners who’d like to learn more about next generation probiotics such as Symprove, the company also host site visits and open days at Symprove HQ below the Hog’s Back near Farnham. They’ve proved very popular so far and include a tour of the production facilities as well as a buffet on the house and weather permitting, a visit to the beautiful organic vegetable and fruit garden – a real hit with Nutritional Chefs who usually leave with some fresh produce.

“Camexpo is an exciting event for Symprove and we’re delighted to be taking part. We have a huge amount of respect for healthcare practitioners and recognise the valuable and difficult work that they do. With this understanding, Symprove is keen to spread the word in as many ways as possible and is equally looking forward to taking part in the BANT cardiovascular conference the following weekend. It’s a busy year ahead for Symprove.”

Symprove has now gone fruity for those of you who’d like a different taste. We know that some people have been waiting a while for a new flavour, however, as a science-based company it was really important to preserve product integrity.

Symprove Mango & Passion Fruit works in exactly the same way as the original Symprove to deliver:

• 4 different probiotic strains
• At least 10 billion naturally occurring, live activated probiotic bacteria per 50 ml serving
• The promised number of probiotic bacteria at any time of the products’ 5-month shelf life, to targeted areas within your digestive system where they can establish colonies (CFUs)

We’re still offering Symprove Original as it’s a favourite with many of our customers.

Now that we’ve taken action, if you decide to try our new Mango & Passion Fruit please let us know what you think. As one nutritional blogger said the other day, “Will report back after bottle necked.” We can’t wait to hear!

Bacteria that live within the human digestive system contribute to gut immunity, synthesise vitamins such as folic acid and biotin, and ferment complex indigestible carbohydrates.The International Human Microbiome Consortium was set up to identify and study all the microbes living in our body and what purposes they have. Work so far has revealed that the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria in our gut need one another.They play a vital role in shaping our physical development, helping train our immune systems and providing us with the ability to carry out a set of finely regulated chemical reactions to maintain life – known as metabolic activities.In fact, the discovery of how important this relationship is between good and bad bacteria, is completely transforming the way these researchers are studying human biology. It is now becoming more and more apparent that so many conditions or illnesses could be a direct result with the relationship we have with our bioflora from the moment we are born.

Within the first few months of birth, gut flora undergoes huge changes several times as different species of bacteria establish and flourish responding to a baby’s needs and diet.By the age of 3, the gut microbiome has matured and the majority inhabit the colon. Whilst we all share a number of the same species, it is also becoming more widely accepted amongst scientists, that modern day living, stress and diet influence the variations and may have an impact on our health.

A healthy gut flora requires balance and helps to keep pathogenic bacteria in check by occupying the pockets within the gut where these bacteria would normally lurk. Given the space or opportunity, pathogenic bacteria invade these niches and this presents as illness, disease or generally feeling unwell.

The importance of gut microbes and what they are capable of doing falls under the study of metagenomics. This involves looking at collective genomes or microorganisms where genetic material is recovered directly from the microorganisms’ environment. The most detailed study was published by a European led consortium MetaHIT (Metagenomics of the Human Intestinal Tract) in 2010 who found over 3 million different microbial genes. Whilst each person doesn’t have all the microbial genes discovered, we all share a core group and these are responsible for at least 600 biochemical functions and are crucial to the survival of our human ecosystem. It is now much more apparent that we are dependent on our gut flora in regulating our biochemistry and metabolism. At Imperial College London, they have found that your gut microbiome can affect your ability to metabolise and respond to the painkiller paracetamol for example. The MetaHIT project also found that certain microbes responded to different toxins or food additives. This implies that the future of pharmaceuticals will have to take our microbiome into account when tackling illness and disease.

In the MetaHIT study it was found that people with diseases had an imbalance of gut flora and in some cases, such as IBD, had 25% fewer microbial genes. Right now, it’s not clear whether our gut bioflora actually cause health problems, or change as a result. However, as nutrition consultant Catherine Gladwin states, “The importance of healthy gut bioflora just cannot be emphasised enough. Replacing and balancing gut bioflora is an important step towards recovery. For example, clients with allergies and food intolerances are also shown the link between compromised gut bioflora and how they have developed an inappropriate immune response in the first place. The effects of having a healthy population of good bacteria in the digestive system can’t be overstated.”

Researchers are now questioning whether modern day living is having a detrimental effect on the ecology of our microbiome? With obesity, IBS, diabetes, some cancers and autoimmune diseases increasing within western cultures, perhaps this is the case. It’s also widely known that the overuse of antibiotics severely compromise gut flora as well as becoming resistant to illness. Whilst over time, gut flora can build back up, for many people in the western world poor diet and stress has an effect. The ecology or natural balance of our gut microbiome struggles and is weakened, needing some additional help, by topping up the gut with a good probiotic.

A good probiotic is live and crucially activated enabling bacteria to quickly establish and multiply in the gut. This helps to redress the balance as well as better enable our biochemical functions. In reality, probiotics have been in development for at least 10 million years as humans and probiotic bacteria have been living in harmony forever. However, it’s only in recent decades that scientists have come to realise how important that relationship is. By taking control and helping yourself and by applying a health-caring approach to modern everyday living, this could go a long way towards a healthier you. It would also take some strain away from the National Health Service which could really be referred to as a disease care and cure service. The Chinese have long since realised the importance of self-care. Their philosophy and approach for health has always centred on prevention, teaching people from an early age to take responsibility for their health and well-being on an ongoing basis. As Sun Si Miao said, “For the human body to remain in a healthy and balanced state, nothing else is required but to care about its nourishment.”

Understanding the intricate relationships of our human internal ecosystem is vast and as Claire Ainsworth reported in New Scientist, “It is one of the most daunting tasks facing biologists today. So it is perhaps fitting that tackling these complex questions, will require cooperation across a diverse range of disciplines.”

Made Lulo’s delicious risotto recipe Tuesday night following goat’s cheese salad at lunchtime. Thank goodness there are so many people blogging and providing intolerance and gluten free recipes out there because this means I don’t have to think quite so hard about what to eat and they provide great guidelines too. See http://www.cookingwithoutingredients.com/ and http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/p/site-index.html.

Breakfast most days doesn’t vary much – a serving of Symprove and a bit later on, some fresh fruit and oh, discovered some gluten free croissants so that made me happy!  We decided to go out for lunch on Day 3 and struck gold in terms of gluten free friendliness at La Calendula in Girona. We’ve had many lunches here because all their ingredients are ecological and the chef/owner has a great knowledge when it comes to using herbs and flowers in her cooking (and happens to have written a book too). But yesterday was the first day I noticed that the entire menu is either gluten free or a plate can be adapted. How cool is that? I don’t normally go around with my eyes shut and can only proffer my excuse for missing this in the past, with the fact that we normally look at the ‘Menu of the Day’ which isn’t marked up in the same way as the A La Carte. So the world (or menus) were my oyster! The freshest crab salad with a herby GF dressing, followed by seabass baked in the oven with a light vegetable aromatic broth and sweet roasted tomatoes.

Having eaten such a fab lunch and then got back from an afternoon appointment reasonably latish, supper was a light salad.

Tip: If you happen to visit Girona and are looking for a gluten free restaurant, I can highly recommend La Calendula.

Day 1 started off …. as always with a serving of Symprove (egg cupful) followed by a glass of chopped pineapple having read Miriam Stoppard’s morning health tips on their juicy benefits. Knowing that it would be hard to do without a mid morning croissant, I headed out to the bakers just in case they stocked anything gluten free – a resounding no! So it was on to the Health Food Shop to buy gluten free bread for toasting. It’s not that easy to find gluten free products in the general supermarkets similar to those in the UK so health shops are best. Whilst there I bought various gluten free flours with the idea of baking some GF cakes and noticed some interesting looking sun-dried banana snacks at the till so grabbed a bag of them too.

Eager to get my partner involved (well it’s always nice to have company), I popped a chicken on the rotisserie and then got on with some work. A couple of hours later, we had a delicious lunch of chicken salad with fresh mango dressing (and made extra for another day), followed by strawberries.

Later in the afternoon I couldn’t help eyeing the bag of sun dried banana when I went to make a cuppa. DELICIOUS and chewy, almost like sweets and smell wonderful too! What a great energy snack. I think they’d taste just as good chopped into a gluten free cake.

Then it was time to dash out of town to run an errand getting back around 20.00 to make supper. I had a craving for red meat which is unusual as we don’t eat a lot of it so perhaps my iron levels were low. We opted for steak on the grounds that it was quick to cook with some steamed potatoes and sprinkled with chopped herbs.

Tonight, we plan to have a go at Lulo’s Risotto as her recipes suit people with all sorts of intolerances, see http://www.cookingwithoutingredients.com/ having had a meaty day yesterday. Will report back on Day 2 tomorrow.

Main observation:  With limited knowledge but knowing gluten can ‘show-up’ in all sorts of things, made a mental note to allow extra time to read ingredients lists carefully – particularly abroad!!  Very few products in Spain are marked gluten free.

Saturday saw the busiest day (we’d go as far as to say it was barnstorming). We talked to hundreds of people who all had a story to tell and were keen to support themselves or help others. The Symprove team made great headway and didn’t stop for anything other than breath until a good 7 hours after the doors opened – not even for a few slurps of a cuppa! That’s a lot of talking and something we’d happily do again and again – if it means that people have a better understanding of what probiotics are about.

Of course not everyone attending the Show was looking for probiotics – they’re not necessarily the first thing that springs to mind at an Allergy and Gluten Free Show. But as more and more people popped by the stand, it was priceless seeing the faces of people who ‘got it’ when the penny dropped. All it needed was a little explanation on how our digestive system works and responds to ‘friendly’ probiotic bacteria – and as importantly – how some probiotic formats tackle and manage this better than others. As with a lot of things in life, keeping ‘stuff’ simple can be more effective than attempting to complicate matters. Symprove steers clear of over-processing what are essentially naturally occurring good probiotic bacteria produced on an extract of germinated barley.  We don’t add any ‘artificial extras’ either and offer a lactose and gluten free water-based probiotic drink with no sweeteners, sugars or colourings. From the feedback we were getting at the Show, people with intolerances have struggled to find a liquid probiotic that is gluten and dairy free.

Misconceptions still exist but understanding the basics behind probiotics helps people to make more informed choices and this became apparent during the Show. There is a notion that some people think all probiotics, to all intents and purposes, have the same benefits. Others are unaware that probiotics contain specific strains and may have distinctive functions. And for many people, the viability of some probiotic products is rarely questioned as ‘clever’ marketing offers the consumer a loose benefit. So think twice before you head down the dairy aisle.

In order for probiotics to quickly work effectively and to their optimum, these delicate and ‘good’ bacteria need to be directed to specific sites within the intestinal tract without triggering digestion in the stomach. Triggering digestion can prevent many of the good bacteria from reaching where they need to be. For some probiotics, this is a challenge, as they are seen as food first and may never make it to the lower gut. Others, such as freeze-dried capsules or powdered sachets, take several hours to re-hydrate before they become active and start multiplying as first division is slow in hostile environments.

So if you’re looking for a probiotic that’s fast-acting to support digestive functions and healthy maintenance, then make sure it’s liquid but non dairy, live and activated. Being activated means that the probiotic bacteria can get to work from the moment you swallow the drink. Symprove probiotic bacteria start multiplying within 20 minutes – that’s fast. Many visitors at the Show had never stopped to think about how probiotics actually go to work and how their digestive system responds to them.

For various reasons, probiotics are viewed with scepticism by a few people and there was some evidence of this at the Show. However, it didn’t take long or much – just some solid explanations – to engage and win people round as to why it’s so important to use a good probiotic to support digestive functions and look after their health and wellbeing. For those people who want to read more take a look at some of the other Symprove blogs.

Finally, we’d like to thank everyone who popped by to say hello at the Show – customers, new friends, health practitioners, nurses, doctors, medical students, pharmacists, distributors and other exhibitors including BANT who pointed people in our direction. And if you’re still contemplating whether to try a non dairy gluten free liquid probiotic drink and have any questions, please get in touch with one of the team. As we said at the show, Symprove your health!