Benicaros is a plant-based precision prebiotic fiber ingredient from Netherlands-based NutriLeads BV.

“Benicaros is supported by multiple clinical, mechanistic and safety studies that demonstrates this multifunctional ingredient strengthens gut health and trains faster, smarter and stronger immune responses,” said Dr. Joana Carneiro-Wakefield, CEO of NutriLeads.

NutriLeads conducted a 10-week randomized, double-blind, clinically controlled study with 146 healthy adults (aged 18-65, BMI 18.5-30 kg/m²) to evaluate the effects of Benicaros on gut microbiota, immune response and quality of life.

Participants consumed either a placebo (0 mg/day), low-dose (300 mg/day) or high-dose (1,500 mg/day) of Benicaros for eight weeks after which they were exposed to a standardized rhinovirus challenge. Immune responses were monitored over the next two weeks following infection and quality of life measures were assessed to determine the effects on recovery from mild viral infection.

Carneiro-Wakefield elaborated on the gut health and immune health benefits from the studies:

• Benicaros supplementation increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacterial species, including Bifidobacterium spp. (B. longum and B. adolescentis), as well as anti-inflammatory species (F. prausnitzii, A. hallii, R. hominis), independent of varying baseline gut microbiota compositions.

• Benicaros enhances the production of short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) that foster a resilient gut ecosystem.

• These benefits are attributed to the complex molecular structure of this branched pectic polysaccharide which is not digested in the upper GI tract.

• Subjects in the 300 mg/day Benicaros group reported statistically significant reductions in symptom severity (20-33 percent) and duration (28-43 percent) compared with the control group. Symptoms included runny nose, sore throat, cough and feeling tired.

• Dietary intake of Benicaros accelerated the cascade of protective immune responses in the presence of an airway infection, including critical antiviral (interferon) gene expression, mobilization of innate immune cells, and enhanced responsiveness of natural killer cells.

• Notably, systemic immune responses remained unaffected by Benicaros supplementation in the absence of an immune challenge.

References:

The impact of daily supplementation with rhamnogalacturonan-I on the gut microbiota in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, April 2024.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116561.

Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Carrot-Derived Rhamnogalacturonan-I (cRG-I) on Accelerated Protective Immune Responses and Quality of Life in Healthy Volunteers Challenged with Rhinovirus in a Randomized Trial. Nutrients, 2022.

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14204258.

For more information, visit www.nutrileads.com.

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