sive care unit patients, to subjects suffering from gastrointes- Actif’s Mag: Are the prescribers as well as the consumers tinal disturbances or compromised iron stores. New strains of ready to prescribe/buy probiotics on new axis such interest are the so-called Next Generation Probiotics, which as stress, cognition, bone loss reduction, weight include the commensal bacteria. These strains are typically de- management …? pendent on an oxygen-free environment, which has limited the IFF-DuPont: As consumerscontinue to learn and understand development of such strains until now. These strains are belie- more about the gut-brain-axis, probiotics are becoming more ved to be of high potential as they are endogenous to the host appealing in categories outside of the traditional landscape of and are therefore much more likely to colonize the host or be digestive and immune health support, especially when they are metabolically active in the relevant niches – thus more potent paired with other supporting ingredients such as Sharp-PS®, IFF strains. Several such strains are now in development. Health’s phosphatidylserine for cognitive support. Probi has always been a science driven company and we conti- We have also seen that consumer trends such as health ob- nue to strive towards scientific excellence. In our world this session, active self-care and mental wellbeing have evolved means that our ambition is to have strain and indication spe- at a rapid pace during the Covid-19 pandemic. People across cific clinical data that supports the health positions of our pro- the globe are taking on an even greater ownership of their own ducts. In most cases this includes multiple randomized clinical health. They see it as a crucial enabler in their life and are in- trials with the same strain/strain combination with similar en- creasingly feeling more responsible for their own well-being. dpoints. There truly is strength in repetition. This can result in leaning towards microbiome specific foods TargEDys: A study published last year (Dronkers and coll., and also in building in supplements in their daily routine. 2020, Heliyon) showed the dynamism of research with pro- Another thing that we notice is that the pursuit of wellbeing is biotics. 1 619 clinical studies were registered on 713 different no longer centered around physical alone. Consumers are re- features; 70% are still gastrointestinal, but the most recent stu- cognizing more and more that mental and physical health are dies are increasingly focusing on non-intestinal issues, inclu- complementary. Better managing and improving mental well- ding metabolic diseases, including metabolic syndrome, and being within a demanding and complex lifestyle will become infections. We now have a number of meta-analyses, but still crucial. Special attention here goes to sleep specific products few meta-analyses done on the same strain at the same dosage. and stress management. There is still confusion in the marketplace between the species Probi AB: Yes and no. It is obviously not as established as probio- concept and the strain concept. Certain species are well identi- tics for gut health but we see a growing interest among prescri- fied by laboratories, such as B. animalis subsp. lactis for consti- bers and consumers on these new indications. Here the industry, pation, L. crispatus for the vaginal sphere, B. longum for anxiety, as well as academia, has a responsibility to educate both pres- and increasingly Akkermansia muciniphila (not yet on the mar- cribers and consumers on the benefits of probiotics, and a large ket) and Hafnia alvei for weight and metabolism. It remains to part of that education needs to be founded in strong science. better identify and explain the traits that are strain-specific and TargEDys: There is still a lot of education to be done in these those that are shared within a species or even a family, and to areas and it is important not to fall into the predominant fault allow consumers access to this information. of the dietary supplement field in weight loss: unrealistic - 131 -