Bifidobacterium is a well-studied genus of beneficial bacteria that naturally inhabits the human gut. There are many speciesof bifidobacteria, and, like all probiotics, their health benefits are strain-specific. Bifidobacterium breve is a species of bifidobacteria commonly found in the intestines of newborn infants. Morinaga M-16V is a room-temperature stable strain of Bifidobacterium breve supported by over 30 published studies, including 19 human clinical trials. It has special benefits for low-birth-weight infants. In fact, Morinaga M-16V is routinely administered to low-birth-weight infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units of approximately 100 hospitals in Japan.
Published scientific studies have shown that in children and/or babies, including low-birth-weight infants, Morinaga M-16V:
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Morinaga M-16V may work through a number of ways to protect the health of children and infants, including:
Supporting the health of the gastro-intestinal mucosal layer*[9],[10]
Modulating the immune response through acting on T-helper cells, immunoglobulin E and galectin-9*[11],[12]
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Safety is of the utmost importance in products intended for medically fragile populations such as pre-term or low-birth-weight infants. Bacteria of the Bifidobacterium genus occur naturally in the human gut and are associated with good health. The safety of Morinaga M-16V has been confirmed by oral toxicity tests, analysis of antibiotic resistance, genomic analysis and numerous clinical studies, which found no adverse effects among study subjects.*[13],[14] Morinaga M-16V has been granted FDA GRAS status in the United States for food applications and infant formulas.
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[4] Ezaki S, et al. Allergol Int. 2012 Mar;61(1):107-13.
[5] van der Aa LB, et al. Allergy. 2011 Feb;66(2):170-7.
[6] van de Pol MA, et al. Allergy. 2011 Jan;66(1):39-47
.[7] van der Aa LB, et al. Clin Exp Allergy. 2010 May;40(5):795-804.
[8] Taniuchi S, et al. Journal of Applied Research. 2005;5(2):387-96.
[9] Wang C, et al. J Ped Gastroenterol Nutr. 2007;44:252-7.
[10] Fujii T, et al. J of Ped Gastroenterol. Nutr. 2006 Jul;43:83-88.
[11] Schouten B, et al. J Nutr. 2009 Jul;139(7):1398-403.
[12] de Kivit S, et al. Allergy. 2012 Mar;67(3):343-52.
[13] Abe F, Yaeshima T, Iwatsuki K. Bioscience Microflora. 2009;28(1):7-15.
[14] Abe F, et al. Anaerobe. 2010;16:131-16.
