The participants in the University of Cork research mentioned above showed lowered levels of cortisol in their saliva after taking stress tests and also reported lower levels of social stress overall, after taking the Zenflore probiotic for four weeks. Is your gut jet lagged too? Developed by PrecisionBiotics, the new psychobiotic Zenflore, has been clinically proven to reduce the symptoms of everyday stress, including tiredness, low energy, tension headaches and a weakened immune system.

Summarized correlations of changes of averaged power in activated areas with changes of subjective results DISCUSSION

Sign up here

Difference of neural activity change during resting state comparing B. longum 1714™ vs placebo. ( a) After the intervention, an increased theta band (6 Hz) power was obtained in a cluster including regions of bilateral inferior frontal cortex, middle frontal cortex, and the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex and middle cingulate cortex, comparing B. longum 1714™ with the placebo group ( P< 0.05). ( b) After the intervention, reduced beta-2 band (26 Hz) power was obtained in a cluster, consisting of the bilateral fusiform gyrus and hippocampus, left inferior temporal cortex and superior temporal cortex, bilateral middle temporal cortex and left cerebellum, comparing B. longum 1714™ with the placebo group ( P< 0.05). B. longum 1714™–induced change in neural activity correlated with increased vitality

Food Supplements are intended to supplement the diet and should not be substituted for a varied diet or healthy lifestyle. One probiotic strain, Bifidobacterium longum 1714™ (Zenflore), has proven effective in modulating CNS functions in animals and humans. B. longum 1714™ has been shown to reduce stress-related behaviors in preclinical studies ( 4,5) and improve stress responses and cognitive function in healthy volunteers ( 6). However, the role of B. longum 1714™ in modulating brain function in humans is unclear. Clinical studies with probiotics using neuroimaging methods have started to emerge and provide insight into modulations of CNS functions in healthy volunteers ( 7–9) and in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) ( 10). The first study to demonstrate neural effects of probiotics in humans used functional MRI and showed that brain activations to emotional faces were altered by a 4-week consumption of a fermented dairy drink in comparison to placebo in healthy subjects ( 7). A more recent study in healthy volunteers showed positive correlations between psychometric measures and brain activity ( 8) as well as altered functional connectivity ( 9) in response to emotional processing after a 4-week intervention with a multi-strain probiotic. Of interest, treatment of patients with IBS using B. longum™ NCC3001 for 6 weeks resulted in an improvement in depressions scores and reduction in limbic activity to negative emotional stimuli, but had no effect on gut symptoms ( 10). Notably, these previous studies used picture-viewing tasks during brain recording that poorly reflect behavioral changes found in animal models, which are commonly used to screen the effects of probiotics on stress and emotions. Furthermore, both studies in healthy volunteers used multi-strain probiotic product making it difficult to identify the bacterial strain responsible for the observed effects and the pathways involved in strain-specific effects. Therefore, further investigations are required using targeting approaches and different stress paradigms. Zenflore® has been developed by leading scientists and doctors, including gastroenterologists. Clinical research has shown that the 1714-Serenitas® culture was associated with a beneficial increase in activity in the parts of the brain that handle emotion. The B vitamins also contained in Zenflore®, include niacin, thiamine, vitamins B6 and B12, support normal psychological function and reduce fatigue. When combined with these vitamins, Zenflore® helps fight fatigue. In addition, clinical trials have demonstrated that the encapsulated 1714-Serenitas® strain reaches the gut alive, giving maximum efficacy. B. longum 1714™ has been shown to reduce stress-related behaviors in preclinical studies ( 4,5) and improve stress responses and cognitive function in healthy volunteers ( 6). The current functional neuroimaging study showed that B. longum 1714™ significantly altered neural activities in the resting state and in response to a social stressor in healthy participants after a 4-week intervention. The alteration in the resting brain activity by B. longum 1714™ was associated with the SF36 scale “Energy/Vitality.” In response to the social stress, the changed neural activities occurred only in the probiotic group. These data suggest that B. longum 1714™ may play a role in managing stress responses by modulating the relevant neural processes.

Precision Biotics® is proud to have Zenflore® featured on many renowned platforms such as The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Mirror, Healthista, and ITV’s ‘Save Money: Good Health’ with Sian Williams and Ranj Singh who explored how people can lead a healthy lifestyle without breaking the bank. Stress is common to all of us at some point, especially in the current climate of the pandemic and all the uncertainty that brings. Recognising the first signs of stress is vital to being able to combat it effectively. It acts by becoming part of the gut microbiota that is involved in the gut-brain axis, the two-way communication between the brain and the gut. Potential competing interests: E.M. is the Technical Director at Alimentary Health Group. Alimentary Health provided the placebo and probiotic containing the B. longum 1714™ strain (also known as 1714-Serenitas), but had no further influence on data collection and data evaluation. P.E. is a consultant for Alimentary Health. The other authors declare no potential conflicts of interest. Other convincing studies have shown the same probiotic strain may also have a positive effect on memory. While other strains have been studied looking at their effects on the brain, the company responsible for the research and development on bifidobacterium longum 1714 has taken a pharmacological approach, by rigorously testing it in three phases.