Sigosent SGS and Sigosphere SGS probiotics, targeting constipation and bloating respectively, have just come onto the market. Both cover niches that were not yet targeted by existing probiotics. “Currently there is for diarrhea, to improve the immune system, to avoid the side effects of antibiotic consumption, but not for these clinical scenarios of constipation and abdominal bloating, two very prevalent health problems and sometimes without effective treatments”, points out Silvia Gómez Senent, professor of the Nursing Degree at Nebrija University, a specialist in the Digestive System and creator of the probiotics at CFN laboratories.
As the researcher and teacher explains, probiotics are preparations that contain live microorganisms, which reach the intestine and have their effect there. These live microorganisms are bacteria that are usually designated by a first name and two last names; for example, Lactobacillus (first name) plantarum (first last name) DR7 (second last name). What makes one probiotic different from another are the surnames, since depending on their designation they will have an intestinal and immune system function.
Probiotics modulate the intestinal microbiota, the set of microorganisms that live in the intestine. “The intestinal microbiota has a barrier function; that is, it prevents toxins and microorganisms from passing into the bloodstream, regulates the immune system and is responsible for producing vitamins and substances that are beneficial to our health, as well as connecting with the brain”, she says.
Silvia Gómez Senent points out that in people with constipation there is an imbalance of the intestinal microbiota (dysbiosis), which produces an increase in microorganisms with more inflammatory characteristics since they contribute to constipation symptoms. Therefore, the balance of this dysbiosis favors the improvement of the symptoms of constipation and abdominal swelling.
Positive Feedback on Probiotics
Sigosent SGS and Sigosphere SGS aim to resolve the symptoms of constipation and bloating in all patients, and consequently improve their quality of life. “Right now, the feedback I have from the people who have taken them is very positive,” says the Nebrija University professor.
The prevalence in Costa Rica of constipation is between 15% and 20%, and from 60 years, from 30% to 40%. By sex, it is more prevalent in women than in men. It is estimated that in “institutionalized” elderly (residence), the prevalence is higher than in “non-institutionalized” elderly.
Recommendations
In this sense, Gómez Senent gives a series of recommendations: the intake of 1.5 liters to 2 liters of water a day: the intake of foods that contain fiber, such as fruit and vegetables -2 servings of vegetables a day and 3 or 4 pieces of fruit a day-; daily physical activity; make meals with time and slowly; adequate rest; and spend the necessary time in the bathroom to achieve an adequate and painless evacuation.
The Sigosent SGS gestation process began two years ago. In her practice, Silvia Gómez Senent cares for many patients with functional digestive disorders, which have also been on the rise since the Covid-19 pandemic: “In my practice I take a comprehensive approach to the patient, with a 360º vision, which includes diet, sports, stress management… and in this type of pathology, which is closely related to lifestyle, the microbiota plays a fundamental role”.
About a year ago, she stepped on the research accelerator and reviewed all the literature on bacterial strains that had clinical evidence in humans and animals to find the set of probiotics that could help these patients. “I selected different strains that had separate evidence, some in synergy. Later I contacted a laboratory that could find the strains of bacteria, and after doing a market analysis I found the right combination”, she details.
The Relevance of the Gut Microbiota
Regarding the second probiotic -Sigosphere SGS-, the Nebrija University professor points to the non-existence of probiotics to solve the problem, and adds: “It is also a field in which the therapeutic that exists is to improve swelling at the specific moment that we are more affected, but not to treat this dysbiosis, which generates a highly gas-producing microbiota”.
In recent years, the role of the intestinal microbiota in different diseases has been investigated. As the researcher explains, patients with certain pathologies have a different microbiota than people who do not suffer from it and is similar between them.
For this reason, this data has led many investigations to focus on the importance of these findings. “From my clinical experience, patients whose microbiota is modulated improve and, from my research experience, from various works that I have carried out at Hospital La Paz, patients not only improve clinically, but also changes are seen in the microbiota”, explains Silvia Gómez Senen.
