Digestive Regularity and Comfort – A BB12 Story
A healthy digestive rhythm is something many of us take for granted, until it’s disrupted. Whether it’s changes in diet, travel, or simply everyday stress, the result can often be sluggish or irregular bowel movements, or digestive discomfort. There are many options out there that claim to help address digestive issues, but how many are really backed by science? And how many can work across multiple different digestive issues? And how many of them are natural, using natural ingredients, as opposed to artificial chemicals?
That’s where Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12® comes in. BB-12® is one of the world’s most researched live bacterial strains, known for its ability to support regularity and digestive comfort. Over the past 30 years, it has been featured in more than 130 human clinical studies, including several large double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, widely regarded to be the gold standard of medical research.
These studies have been conducted all over the world and show that BB-12® can help people maintain a smoother digestive rhythm and more comfortable bowel habits, particularly in those who experience slower or less frequent movements, or had existing problems to begin with. This comes alongside excellent tolerability in more vulnerable groups of people.
Let’s go on a little journey to see what the scientists have found…
The Research
Researchers have explored BB-12® in a range of populations when it comes to digestive regularity, from healthy adults to elderly residents, and the results are consistent and very encouraging! Here’s just a few.
In one of the largest studies, involving more than 1,200 adults with infrequent bowel movements, those who took BB-12® daily for four weeks were significantly more likely to experience an increase in their weekly bowel movements compared with the placebo group. The study found that BB12 appeared to increase the average number of bowel movement days per week in comparison to the placebo. Not only this, but the improvement was seen across baseline subgroups, with some analyses suggesting differences by starting bowel frequency.
In another study with elderly nursing-home residents, conducted in Finland, BB-12® increased the number of bowel days that would be regarded as normal by around 35% compared with placebo, translating to meaningfully more consistent bowel movements in a vulnerable population.
Smaller studies with younger adults, especially women who tended to have slower bowel habits, found similar trends. After two weeks, those taking BB-12® reported noticeably more frequent and comfortable bowel movements.
Across all these trials, BB-12® was well tolerated and showed consistent benefits, particularly for individuals whose digestive rhythm was slower than average at baseline. This is important as we all know that sometimes medical treatments can come with unwanted side effects, but with BB12 the evidence suggested that no side effects were present at all!
But how does it affect me?
Feeling regular and comfortable isn’t just about digestion, it affects energy, mood, and overall well-being. Occasional sluggishness can leave you feeling heavy or uncomfortable, and it’s something we’ve all experienced at some point. Nobody enjoys having to go about their day feeling heavy and bloated!
The good news is that research shows BB-12® can help the gut find its natural rhythm again. By surviving the journey through the stomach and reaching the intestines alive, BB-12® can reach your full digestive tract, which is important if it’s going to have an effect on your whole gut. Research shows that it helps maintain a healthy balance of bacteria, supporting a more diverse and healthy microbiome. This translates to real results as these studies show, with a measurable increase in regular bowel movements, helping to eliminate the unpredictability. All of this in a vulnerable group of people, who are sensitive to any form of outside influence, and a stunning result of no reported side effects from the BB12 whatsoever.
For those looking for a simple, natural way to support digestive regularity, BB-12® is a real contender. It’s track record of research into this area is promising to say the least! And this is research that was conducted to the highest clinical standards, in humans, not pre-clinical in animals, for high quality human testing you can trust.
If you want to learn more about BB12 and what it can do, check out our other articles in the learn hub on our website! Still got questions? Send us a message via the website and we’ll do what we can to help you out!
References (the science) – Don’t just take our word for it:
1. Eskesen D, Jespersen L, Michelsen B, Whorwell PJ, Müller-Lissner S, Morberg CM. Effect of the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, BB-12®, on defecation frequency in healthy subjects with low defecation frequency and abdominal discomfort: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial. Br J Nutr. 2015 Nov 28;114(10):1638-46. doi: 10.1017/S0007114515003347. Epub 2015 Sep 18. PMID: 26382580; PMCID: PMC4657032. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4657032/
2. Jungersen M, Wind A, Johansen E, Christensen JE, Stuer-Lauridsen B, Eskesen D. The Science behind the Probiotic Strain Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12(®). Microorganisms. 2014 Mar 28;2(2):92-110. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms2020092. PMID: 27682233; PMCID: PMC5029483. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5029483/
3. Pitkala KH, Strandberg TE, Finne Soveri UH, Ouwehand AC, Poussa T, Salminen S. Fermented cereal with specific bifidobacteria normalizes bowel movements in elderly nursing home residents. A randomized, controlled trial. J Nutr Health Aging. 2007 Jul-Aug;11(4):305-11. PMID: 17653486. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17653486/
