Overview of Human Research on Bimuno

Research on how the gut microbiome can be modulated through exogenous strains of bacteria (probiotics) has been well documented. The effects of stimulating endogenous bacteria through consumption of dose-controlled prebiotics are arguably less well known.

Clasado has published human clinical trials on the prebiotic Bimuno^® since 2008.

The research journey started at the University of Reading by demonstrating how beneficial endogenous bacteria can be selectively grown in the colon by a unique galactooligosaccharide (GOS) contained in Bimuno, in a replicable way.

Bimuno (also referred to as B-GOS^®) is shown to beneficially affect the human gut microbiome through its selective stimulation of bifidobacteria. The proliferation of good bacteria in the gut has been repeatedly demonstrated in studies in healthy adult populations (Depeint, 2008; Vulevic, 2008 & 2015), IBS cohort (Silk, 2009) and obese adults (Vulevic, 2013).

Human research demonstrated the effect of bifidobacteria and associated metabolites on the gut microbiome and the resulting influence on digestive health, immune function and cognitive health.

Digestive discomfort

Bloating, Constipation, Flatulence, Abdominal Pain

Bimuno has been shown to reduce the physical effects of digestive discomfort (Silk, 2009, Vulevic, 2018 and Huaman, 2018). People who have this condition are often advised by nutrition professionals to temporarily avoid fermentable (FODMAP) foods and these foods are largely prebiotic. However not all prebiotics are the same and interestingly although the broad definition of FODMAPs should technically include galactooligosaccharides, Bimuno has been shown to have a comparable symptom lowering effect as low-FODMAP (LF) diets, whilst increasing the levels of bifidobacteria, in contrast to the group on a LF diet (Huaman, 2018).

The gut microbiome has an adaptive response to Bimuno. Flatulence initially increased after supplementation but declined back to baseline levels by day 10 (Mego, 2017).

Immune function

Benefits to the immune system from the modulation of the gut microbiome by Bimuno have also been demonstrated. Improvements in immunity have been measured in terms of a reduction of natural killer cells (NK) activity (Vulevic, 2008), an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) and decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β  (IL-1β) (Vulevic, 2015). In addition, a study on a population with a phenotype of asthma, Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB), found that in improving respiratory function, Bimuno supplementation reduced systemic concentrations of TH2 driven inflammatory markers (Williams, 2016).

A study on overweight adults found that supplementation of Bimuno significantly lowered levels of a general marker of inflammation, plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), and calprotectin which is a specific marker of intestinal inflammation. The same study also found an increase in faecal secretory slgA, which is involved in mucosal immunity and gut barrier function (Vulevic, 2013). This supports the role of Bimuno in beneficially modulating the immune system.

Behaviour, mood and cognition

Modulation of the gut microbiome has also been demonstrated to affect brain function. The modulation of the gut microbiome and the resulting effects on behaviour, mood and cognition (known as the gut microbiome – brain – axis) is a new discipline. Research has shown that Bimuno supplementation can reduce cortisol, a stress hormone, in healthy people and decrease response to negative stimuli (Schmidt, 2015). In a study on autistic children, there were significant improvements in the gut microbiome profile and a decrease in anti-social behaviour when Bimuno was administered (Grimaldi, 2018). There is also extensive supporting evidence for the role of Bimuno in the gut microbiome - brain - axis coming from animal studies.

Travellers' Diarrhoea

Bimuno has been shown to reduce the incidence and duration of travellers' diarrhoea (TD) (Drakouloarakou, 2007; Hasle 2017). These studies were conducted using travellers to countries with medium to high risk of developing TD. Further animal studies have detailed the anti-adhesive effects of Bimuno on pathogenic activity.

Below is a reference of the human, animal and in vitro research undertaken on Bimuno.

Summary of Science