Launching Feb. 18, Smart Strains aims to fill a void in the market with a range of four strain-specific probiotics, each of which is backed by international health guidelines.
Rossi says there is a ‘disconnect’ between what clinical guidelines say and what is available to the consumer, and the missing piece of the puzzle is ensuring that consumers can take the right strain, at the right time, in the right way.
“Generic daily probiotics are outdated—there is no ‘one size fits all’," she told NutraIngredients. “Each strain of bacteria does different things and acts in different ways. This concept of appreciating and accepting that each bacteria does different things is what will revolutionize the probiotic space.”
Identifying a gap in the market
During her career working as a dietitian, Dr. Rossi became frustrated that despite a wealth of evidence, she was unable to recommend specific science-backed probiotics targeted to her patients’ needs.
“We have these international health body guidelines saying we should take this particular strain at this dose at this time, but the products don’t exist,” she explained.
“It was the most infuriating situation which led me to stop talking to my patients about probiotics, because how do you tell a patient ‘I know something could be really helpful for you, but it doesn’t exist.’”
Now, the new Smart Strains range is designed to offer targeted solutions for four key demographics: ‘For when you’re on antibiotics’, ‘For fussy babies’, ‘For your immune system’ and ‘For your vaginal microbiome’.
“Essentially, these areas are where, as a clinician, I felt there is the strongest scientific evidence for taking a probiotic,” she said. “We weighed up the most robust scientific evidence and what is going to give the best clinical outcome and decided on these four areas.”
Is strain specificity the key to efficacious probiotics?
Designed to be taken alongside antibiotics, the first probiotic in the range contains Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG)—the most scientifically researched probiotic strain in the world, which has been featured in almost 2,000 scientific publications.
Numerous randomized placebo-controlled trials have found that LGG can reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) and other gastrointestinal side effects. Affecting one in three people taking antibiotics, Rossi spotted a gap in the market for a probiotic specifically formulated for such gut disturbances.
“When you look at other brands, they often add in lots of different types of bacteria, which is an issue because bacteria can compete,” she said. “Also, strains have often been tested separately but not together. For each of our formulations, the strains of bacteria have been shown to survive together.”
The immunity probiotic—containing LGG and Bifidobacterium—works synergistically to support the upper respiratory tract during the winter months, while the vaginal probiotic, containing Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001, has been clinically proven to colonize the vagina and decrease candida growth.
The strains for the vaginal microbiome are also included in the World Gastroenterology Organisation’s Guidelines on Probiotics.
“We’ve essentially copied the guidelines, and that’s the whole point,” Dr. Rossi said. “We’re giving clinicians and patients the product that this whole body of independent research has confirmed is good.”
Finally, the infant probiotic, containing Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12, has been clinically proven to be effective in babies with colic or similar gastrointestinal discomfort.
“From a business perspective, we knew this was not going to hit the most people, but it has the strongest evidence,” she said. “We’re driven by clinical decisions and not mass marketing.”
Understanding consumer needs
The range launched alongside new research commissioned by Opinium on behalf of Smart Strains, which found that in a survey of UK adults, the vast majority (84%) of probiotic users felt they should be backed by official health bodies.
In addition, while nearly half of participants (46%) had experience of taking probiotics, a similar number (51%) did not know that there are different strains to treat different conditions and seven in 10 (70%) found it difficult to choose the right probiotic.
Dr. Rossi hopes the new range will help to clearly communicate to consumers which bacterial strains to take when, removing the guesswork so many seem to face.
Looking ahead
On plans for the future, Dr. Rossi said there is scope for the range to be extended to other conditions, but this will depend on how the research landscape evolves.
She explained that the field is still in its early stages, noting that an estimated 20% of the bacterial species in the gut microbiome lack identification and functional characterization.
For now, Dr. Rossi noted that the primary focus will be to educate consumers about Smart Strains’ core principles: Selecting the appropriate probiotic strain, administering at the optimal time and using the most effective delivery method.
Expanding the range will depend on “convincing research, good evidence, and a united front from clinicians,” she said.