Risk for Diabetes in Pregnancy can be Reduced with Probiotic Says Research

Pregnant with a risk for diabetes? Worry no more: Pregnant women have a new natural weapon in the fight against gestational diabetes.

Fonterra Programme Manager Nutrition and Health, Dr. James Dekker said instances of gestational diabetes are on the rise throughout the world so it’s exciting to find out Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001, referred to as SureStartTM LactoB 001, may be able to change this.

NZFarmer reports:

Dairy giant Fonterra has developed a naturally occurring probiotic, and research led by the University of Otago, Wellington has shown it has resulted in a 68 percent reduction in gestational diabetes in a trial group of 194 women. Fonterra programme manager nutrition and health, Dr James Dekker, said the probiotic had been trademarked and was already being used in health supplements by Du Pont, who paid a royalty for its use.

“We are looking at where we might use it in other products, especially food. In the past we have used a strain in 150 gram pottles of yoghurt,” said Dekker to NZFarmer.

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