"People are looking for naturally sourced supplements that work naturally with the body's systems for balance and control," said Mitchell Jones, MD, PhD, chief scientific officer and co-founder, Micropharma. "We are launching a probiotic supplement, Cardioviva™, in the coming months that will offer a safe and natural addition to a heart healthy diet and lifestyle for those consumers who want a natural solution."
Dr. Jones will present new clinical results about Cardioviva™ (Lactobacillus reuteri NCIMB 30242) at an oral presentation entitled "Probiotics for Heart Health: Next Generation of Adjunct Therapies for Lipid Management," at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions on Nov. 5, 2012, in Los Angeles. The association expects more than 20,000 scientists and healthcare professionals from more than 110 countries to attend the Scientific Sessions. It is the largest gathering devoted to the science of cardiovascular disease and stroke and the care of patients suffering from these diseases. Results of the research will be available following the presentation.
Highlights from the survey, conducted among 677 supplement users in the United States in May 2012, follow:
Heart health is very important among supplement users, and they understand there is a connection between gut health and heart health.
- Heart health is a bigger concern than digestive health. Roughly half (52 percent) are concerned about heart health relative to just over one third (40 percent) who express concern over digestive health.
- Nearly all (91 percent) understand and believe that diet is related to heart health, agreeing that the health of their heart can be directly affected by what they eat.
- Seventy-five percent agree that their overall health is affected by the health of their digestive system and 76 percent agree that the health of their digestive system affects the health of their heart.
- Three-fourths (75 percent) of supplement users would prefer a more natural way to lower cholesterol.
- Seventy-three percent wish there was a clinically proven way to reduce cholesterol that is not a prescription drug.
- More than two-thirds (67 percent) of supplement users say they worry about the side effects of taking prescription drugs to treat cholesterol.
- Seventy-seven percent agree that probiotics deliver a dose of good bacteria to your body.
- Sixty percent have used probiotics, either in the form of a food with active live cultures, a probiotic food, or supplement.
- Over two thirds (69 percent) of probiotic users agree that different active cultures provide different types of health benefits, and nearly three out of four (73 percent) probiotic users agree that active cultures do more for them than improve digestion.