THE WORLD
OF PROBIOTICS

THE PROLIFE
QUALITIES

THE INTESTINE AND HEALTH 
Our intestine serves not only to digest and metabolise food. It also plays an important part in the health of our body.

An upset intestine may lead to the onset of many conditions and diseases:

• diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, intestinal infections, colic attacks;
• weakening of the immune system, respiratory infections, influenza;
• atopic dermatitis;
• food intolerance.
   

So it is important that the intestine always functions regularly. To achieve this, its bacterial flora must not be compromised, but must be kept “healthy”.

BACTERIAL FLORA 
The intestine is up to 6 metres long with a surface area equivalent to that of a tennis court. Bacterial flora grows on this surface.
Bacterial flora is made up of many billions of microorganisms, which belong to over 400 different species. Their metabolic activity can influence our state of health.

• Some bacteria are harmful.
• Other bacteria are beneficial. These include lactic acid bacteria such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.

WHAT LACTIC ACID BACTERIA DO
Like all “helpful” bacteria, lactic acid bacteria can give protection, preventing the growth and activity of harmful bacteria.

They may also have many other functions helpful to our body. So they can:

• help the metabolism, enabling absorption of the nutrients we eat;
• produce vitamins and short-chain fatty acids, with important physiological functions for the body;
• stimulate the development and functioning of the immune system;
• strengthen the intestinal barrier.

PROLIFE AND THE BALANCE OF BACTERIAL FLORA IN THE INTESTINE
The wellbeing of the intestine depends upon its bacterial flora being always balanced. This occurs when the harmful bacteria do not outnumber the “helpful” ones.
The balance of bacterial flora in the intestine can be compromised:

• after taking antibiotics;
• due to psycho-physical, dietary or environmental stress.

This may result in a series of upsets in the intestine, but also in weakness and general malaise.
In such cases, it may help to supplement the number and quality of microorganisms in the intestine, thus rebalancing its bacterial flora.
Prolife is a complete supplement. It is able to rebalance the bacterial flora of the intestine because it contains:
•probiotic microorganisms (i.e. live lactic acid bacteria);
• prebiotic oligosaccharides;
• vitamins.

Probiotics and prebiotics enable the development of helpful bacteria that live in the intestine. The vitamins strengthen the immune system’s defences.

REDUCING WATER ACTIVITY (AW)
The vitality of probiotics is particularly threatened by what is called water activity. Water activity involves that part of water not bound to the various constituents of the supplement, but which remains free and reacts with the various substances present, including the probiotics. In contact with water activity, probiotics lose their vitality. Numerous scientific studies have shown that probiotics can survive well at room temperature if the levels of water activity are kept very low.

So when making a probiotic supplement it is essential to minimise the amount of water activity to under  0.1.
Prolife’s production technology ensures that water activity remains under 0.1 for the entire shelf life of the supplement.

Dry Fill Process
This is Prolife’s patent production system. During preparation the product is protected from water activity and packaged in a “dry” environment.

3-phase bottle
A special bottle with a measuring cap, containing probiotics in powder form. A special layer traps humidity, protecting the lactic acid bacteria.

The table shows that the Aw level remains under 0.1, after months of warehousing. The clinical trial was carried out on Prolife Pediatrico in the laboratories of Zeta Farmaceutici, in compliance with Rome II.

The table shows the effectiveness of Prolife’s production system in protecting against Aw.
The purple line shows the action of the 3-phase cap. The blue line, the combined action of the 3-phase cap and the Dry Fill Process.
After 24 months, the level of Aw is still under 0.1.
The clinical trial was carried out on Prolife Pediatrico in the laboratories of Zeta Farmaceutici, in compliance with Rome II.

Prebiotics are food components that are not absorbed by the intestine and that encourage the activity of microbial flora.
•  They stimulate the growth of lactic acid bacteria.
•  They help the bacteria work better.

Prebiotics are mostly carbohydrates – oligosaccharides in particular. Among these, fructooligosaccharides play a very important role.

Since 1996, Prolife has chosen to use an innovative prebiotic – gluco-oligosaccharide – which stimulates the growth of bifidobacteria in the colon.

Many supplements only contain one probiotic microorganism. Prolife, however, has chosen to rely on:

• a mixture of several strains, from various species;
• a large number of probiotics for each strain.

A multi-strain formula can be more effective than one based on a single strain. Together, the various strains and species can develop synergies better able to block the growth and metabolic activity of harmful microorganisms.

Prolife: all the strains, all the quantities
This table shows the strains used in all products from the Prolife product line, with the maximum quantities per strain.