Pro: Vaginal Health: Get rid of contraindications, start with dietary supplements

Editor's Note:

Women have become an important force

Today, we work together to focus on women's health and dietary supplements

(1) Vaginal health

It's no secret that women are pushing for dietary supplement consumption

NBJ's 2020 Condition Specific Report predicts that the women's health supplement market will reach $2.

At present, the most basic needs that women focus on, multivitamins, are the largest piece of cake, accounting for about half

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 30 percent of U.

According to spins' proprietary data, sales of urinary tract health supplements have increased by 13%

Sébastien Bornet, vice president of global sales and marketing at Horpha Research, the exclusive supplier of Pycnogenol, reports: "The market for ingredients and supplements to alleviate UTI is growing as demand continues to grow

Recurrent illnesses such as yeast infections and bacterial vaginitis have also prompted female consumers to opt for supplements, especially probiotics

"The probiotic market for women's health is growing rapidly, and online and offline retail approaches are attracting more and more women's attention," said Elodie Aragon, product manager at Lallemand Health Solutions, affirming, "While the women's probiotic market was once a niche market, it has now become a strong differentiator in product development.

(2) Start with probiotics

Lisa Chen, consumer health marketing manager at Bioshamily, insists that vaginal health is an important component of women's health, affecting not only their physical health, but also their sex, mental health and quality of life

"The most common treatments for vaginal infections are antibiotics and antifungals," she said, "but these drugs have side effects, such as resistance and relapse

Biohex Biotech is finding increasing interest in

According to Aragon, Lallemand's Lactobacillus plantarum ROSELLA is a unique strain isolated from a healthy vaginal flora that has the potential to appeal to brands

The researchers speculate that Lactobacillus plantarum ROSELLA is able to adhere to[2] and interfere with [3] Candida albicans, a pathogenic yeast

Ingredients aimed at other aspects of vaginal health have also caught the brand's attention

Maja Orešnik, Director of Science and Research at PharmaLinea, said: "We see an opportunity to go beyond the probiotic approach – helping to maintain healthy mucous membranes
by fully hydrating and supplementing products based on anti-inflammatory and soothing ingredients.
”

A 2019 study examined the effects of supplements containing hyaluronic acid (HA), glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, α-lipoic acid, dimethyl sulfone, and vitamins A, C, and E [4
].

The researchers recruited 32 women
of childbearing age who reported vaginal dryness, postcoital cystitis, and/or painful intercourse.
All patients take 1 tablet 2 times a day for 2 months
.
By the end of the trial, 87 percent of patients had improved their symptoms and reported complete relief
.
No substantial changes were reported after one month of discontinuation; It was not until two months after stopping the drug that vaginal dryness recurred
.

(3) Urinary tract health

Associated with vaginal health is urinary tract health, as studies have shown that a lack of vaginal flora of Lactobacillus bacteria increases the risk of UTIs
[5].
Ingredient suppliers and researchers are stepping up trials of new and proven ingredients to provide evidence
for the supplement industry to support urinary tract health.

In 2020, the FDA issued a qualified health declaration to support whole cranberry supplements
.
"Limited scientific evidence suggests that healthy women with UTIs may have a reduced risk
of recurrence by consuming 500 mg of cranberry dietary supplements per day," the statement reads.
”

Jean Leclerc, director of sales and business development at Fruit d'Or, said the new cranberry distribution model is ready to meet demand
.

But cranberries aren't the only ingredient
.
In 2021, a peer-reviewed study showed that Pycnogenol, a French coastal pine bark extract, was effective in reducing the number of episodes of UTIs, increasing the number of asymptomatic and asymptomatic subjects, and reducing oxidative stress in patients with UTIs [6
].

The researchers recruited 64 participants between the ages of 35 and 41 who reported having had at least three symptomatic UTIs in the past year and twice in the past six months, or had UTIs symptoms but no bacterial infections (such as interstitial cystitis
).

Participants were divided into three groups: one group supplemented with 150 mg of Pycnogenol per day; The second group was supplemented daily with 400 mg (two 200 mg capsules) of dried cranberry extract (19 mg of proanthocyanidins per capsule); The control group followed standard management procedures, including maintaining good hygiene practices and making good lifestyle choices, such as avoiding excessive caffeine and alcohol, ensuring adequate hydration and staying active
.

After 60 days, the researchers found a 62% reduction in the number of UTI/interstitial cystitis attacks in the Pycnogenol group (45% reduction in the cranberry group and 29%
reduction in the control group).
In addition, 100% of the subjects in the Pycnogenol group were free of urine infections (35% of the subjects in the cranberry group and 36% of the subjects in the control group) and 91% were asymptomatic (80% of the subjects in the cranberry group and 82% of the subjects in the control group).

(4) The future of women's health

Going forward, the vaginal health supplement market has the opportunity to play a more dominant role in supporting women's lifestyles, "which means it will no longer be seen as a very specific, niche, or even contraindicated health issue, but more as an essential part of daily health, like sleep or immunity
.
" Orešnik shared
.

As for products, there are gaps in the composite supplement focusing on vaginal health in addition to sports nutrition, healthy aging, mental health, fertility, menopause and intrinsic beauty
.
For example, Leclerc has seen a trend
towards combining probiotics with whole cranberries for multiple effects.
He noted that the beneficial soluble and insoluble proanthocyanidins (PACs) in cranberries do not affect the probiotics' ability to
adhere to epithelial cells or colonize the vaginal mucosa.

Still, Chen notes that the future of success in the vaginal health supplement market will depend on the topic itself becoming less contraindicated and awkward
for women.

"It's critical to focus on opening up the topic of vaginal care and making it as normal as talking about skin and hair care
," she said.
Talking about vaginal health should not be contraindicated
.
It's something we have to work on – not just for marketers or the industry, but for society as a
whole.
We hope that in the near future, women with vaginal health problems will no longer be ashamed to disclose their inner struggles
.
”

References:

1.
Vladareanuet R et al.
“New evidence on oral L.
plantarum P17630 product in women with history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC): a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.
” Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci.
2018; 22(1)262-267.

2.
Bonetti A et al.
“Adherence of Lactobacillus plantarum P 17630 in Soft-Gel Capsule Formulation versus Doderlein’s Bacillus in Tablet Formulation to Vaginal Epithelial Cells.
” Minerva Ginecol.
2003; 55:279-287.

3.
Culici M et al.
“L’Adesione del Lactobacillus plantarum P17630 alle cellule vaginali inibisce l’adesività della Candida albicans.
” Med Odontoiatrica Clin.
2004; 8:34-41.

4.
Anelucci M et al.
“Efficacy of an oral supplement containing hyaluronic acid, collagen, glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, alpha-lipoic acid, methylsulfonylmethane and vitamins on vaginal dryness in young women.
” Nutrafoods.
2019; 1:58-67.

5.
Stapleton AE.
“The Vaginal Microbiota and Urinary Tract Infection.
” Microbiol Spectr.
2016; 4(6):10.
1128.

6.
Ledda A et al.
“Pycnogenol Supplementation Prevents Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections/Inflammation and Interstitial Cystitis.
” Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.
2021; 2021:9976299.

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author | Melissa Kvidahl Reilly

Compiled | Bamboo

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