At present GLP-1 drugs in the Asia Pacific region are still very much focused on their original role of diabetes management, but recognition of its wider weight management and other benefits are rapidly gaining traction, courtesy of its widespread use in the United States.
For the food and beverage sector specifically, the path towards specific GLP-1 companion food and drink products is not yet fully clear, but many companies are preparing for this eventuality, especially in China and India where generic GLP-1 drugs are being produced.
China dairy giant Mengniu is one of these firms, recently moving to thrust its patented probiotic strain LC19 into the limelight by launching an entire documentary on this ingredient, highlighting its role in naturally aiding the added stimulation of GLP-1 secretion in the body.
“One major active metabolite in the human body that stimulates GLP-1 hormone secretion is called Tryptophan-cholic acid (Trp-CA), and this is associated with glucose metabolism and weight regulation,” Peking University Professor Pang Yanli who worked with Mengniu on the LC19 probiotic strain identification said.
“Individuals with poor blood glucose control generally show lower levels of Trp-CA, which operates via a [newly discovered pathway] for metabolic regulation. This is what we targeted and how we narrowed down the search for bacterial strains that could efficiently produce Trp-CA.”
The bacterial strain that was eventually selected was LC-19, due to unique characteristics that allow for it to synthesise Trp-CA in the body using the amino acid tryptophan and bile acids, which then targets the new metabolic regulation pathway by which GLP-1 can work on weight loss.
Moving probiotics into dairy products
Mengniu’s work on this has been validated and published in the international scientific journal Cell, and the firm has consequently already launched probiotic supplement products containing LC-19 into the market, such as the YouRuiAn Sugar Shield probiotic powder.
However, it has far bigger plans for the probiotic, looking to incorporate this into everyday dairy products that consumers consume as part of their regular diets.
Some of these include senior milk powders and functional adult milk powders that are designed for blood sugar management — though not specifically weight management just yet.
“Our research shows that these prebiotics can help individuals showing pre-diabetic symptoms and early blood glucose abnormalities, showing clear physical improvements without needing to rely on drugs,” Mengniu Product R&D Centre GM Shusen Li said.
“We have also identified chilled dairy in particular as an important growth driver for the entire dairy industry, as it has been growing against pressures that the wider milk market has been facing. As cold-chain, research and supply chain capabilities continue to improve, chilled dairy has entered a new golden period of development, including in areas of functionality.”
The firm estimates chilled fermented dairy to be a frequent consumer touchpoint throughout the day, averaging at 2.4 scenarios per consumer daily.
“This includes breakfast, afternoon tea, simple hunger relief, meal replacement, after-meal pairings and so on. Chilled fermented dairy products like yoghurt have become a high-frequency product in consumer diets, and we [need to bring] added functional value such as glucose metabolism into this category.”
Mengniu has established an intellectual property portfolio of probiotic strains that now exceeds 18,000 strains, so as the interest in GLP-1 grows in the APAC region, LC-19 is unlikely to be its only probiotic solution that can tap rising interest in GLP-1, blood sugar management and metabolic health moving forward.
