Stachyose—The Chinese Strength Contributed to Intestinal Health (1)

By Xi’an App Chem-Bio (Tech) Co., Ltd.

Preface: The human microbiome and intestinal microecological health have become the hottest topics of the life sciences and big health industries in recent two years. As a new kind of prebiotics originating from China, industrialized in China, and mostly applied and developed in China, the stachyose features distinct characteristics such as small amount for acting, strong efficacy, and green and safety, making it potentially a new kind of super prebiotics. Stachyose can be called the “Chinese strength contributed to intestinal health” in the industry context that various prebiotics and probiotics almost originate from the Europe and U.S., and it will make unique and bigger contributions to the health of Chinese people and humanity, with the R&D and industry development of human microbiome and intestinal microecology.

Human microbiome is a hot area, and gut microbes are the core and key thereof

After the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, many scientists came to know that the deciphering human genome could not lead to complete grasp of key problems of human diseases and health because humans know next to nothing of the tremendous amounts of microbial flora in vivo symbiotic with the body. Those symbiotic microbes that exist in human intestinal tract, skin, oral cavity, respiratory tract, genital organ, and stomach, etc. have over 1,000 species, total weight of 0.8-1.2kg, cell number reaching 100 trillion which is 10 times the cell number inside human body, and contain gene number reaching 2.50 million which is 100 times the gene number of human body; their influences are beyond our previous common sense and are so strong that they control human destiny in a way, therefore, they are also called the second genome of human body, with the importance beyond doubt.

Scientists from 13 countries founded “International Human Microbiome Consortium” in 2005 and published the Paris recommendations on promoting human microbiome research; in 2007, the EU initiated the METAHIT project, the U.S. initiated the HMP project, Japan initiated the Human MetaGenome Consortium Japan (HMGJ) project, and China and France jointly initiated the MetaGUT project; the International Human Microbiome Consortium (IHMC) was formally established in 2008; in the meantime, metagenomics research obtained breakthroughs, which provided reliable research means for the research of human microbiome, and effective targets and powerful means for prevention of various chronic diseases, recovery from serious illnesses, and lifecycle health management; the 10 “blockbuster” articles published on Nature, Science, and Cell in the 8 days from October 28-November 6, 2015 marked the beginning of the “first year of human microbe era”, and pushed the human microbiome to the forefront of the human disease and health field.

Two years thereafter, there have been successive blockbuster studies: symbiotic microbes’ relations with various diseases are gradually revealed, from obesity, diabetes, depression, autism, tumor, to various metabolic system diseases, immune system diseases, and nervous system diseases—origin and progression of almost all chronic diseases are closely related with gut microbes.

Intestinal health means big business, and will have new connotation and historical mission

Intestinal tract is one of the most important organs of body: over 70% of immune system of human body is located at intestinal tract, over 95% of nutrition is absorbed via intestinal tract, and 70% of toxins are removed by intestinal tract. Intestinal health is fundamental to human health.

Functional foods associated with intestinal health have been an area where big products come out, owing to the strong demand (according to the survey, 90% people have some degree of intestinal health problem), quick acting (quick in improving intestinal health problems), and pivotability (closely related with many health problems), and occupy a very important position in the functional food industry. The most successful functional foods so far have been closely related with intestinal health.

According to a survey in 2014, the specific health foods with function claim of “benefiting intestinal health” accounted for 15% market shares in Japan where the functional foods originated, which was the highest among functional foods; intestinal health products accounted for 5.3% market shares in the U.S., the largest market of functional foods, which ranked fourth, with the fastest growth; intestinal health products accounted for 16% market shares in Taiwan, China, which was the highest; there was no authoritative data report in Mainland China, however, the relevant shares would also have been the highest if products such as yogurt, probiotic beverages, and prebiotics with selling point of intestinal health were counted. The beginning of the era of human microbiome+ taking intestinal microbiome as the core will endow intestinal health products with new connotation and historical mission.

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