Evidence-Based Review of LactoSpore (Bacillus Coagulans MTCC 5856)

Although they have already been 'flying under the radar' for decades, now, spore-forming bacteria like the Bacillus coagulans species are starting to come into their own for being not only safe and effective but also cost-effective.

Unlike conventional probiotics which are very susceptible to getting killed off by high heat, humidity, and acidity not only in their production, shipping and storage but also their actual consumption (such that they may require ten billion live bacteria to start with if they're to actually succeed in colonizing one billion in your large intestine, for example), spore-based probiotics have adapted to develop outer shells which protect the live bacteria within, which lay dormant until they pass through the harsh conditions of the stomach and reach the intestines, where they germinate and release their contents, which get reactivated. (That is, it's almost as if they come individually pre-encapsulated!)

Because these types are highly resistant to high temperature (and can survive freezing, as well), they are shelf stable (no refrigeration required), have a long shelf life, and can be shipped even in the dog days of summer without worrying about if they'll still be viable upon arrival. They've also been shown to be able to withstand not only the gastric juices of the stomach but also the bile salts they encounter in the intestines.

This particular type under review is a patented strain called Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856, which goes by the trade name, LactoSpore®: the registered trademark of Sabinsa Corporation, which has been producing it as a dietary ingredient and licensing it for functional food and supplement makers for nearly 30 years, now.

(Based in India, but with Global Offices now in 11 other countries as well, Sabinsa produces quite a number of supplement and functional foods ingredients, including the BioPerine black pepper extract that's added to many supplements to improve the improve the bioavailability of certain nutrients that are difficult to absorb.)

In more technical terms, LactoSpore is a gram-positive, facultative anaerobic, nonpathogenic, non-mutagenic, spore-forming, lactic acid-producing bacteria... and it should be noted, this is the safer, L(+) kind of lactic acid which only changes the pH/acidity level in the immediate area and can make the outer membrane of some types of unwanted bacteria more permeable to attack, not the D- type which could conceivably lead to a harmful condition called D-lactic acidosis, especially among those with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) or in children with short bowel syndrome (SBS).

LactoSpore is being actively explored for multiple uses, including in topical creams for skin care, and it's been awarded patents for eradicating Helicobacter pylori (when paired with beta-Glucogallin). It's also been approved in Canada as a novel food ingredient that's safe to add to both foods and beverages, and thus is appearing in an ever-expanding range of natural health products here, including many offered by Organic Traditions. But as a traditional supplement, it's proven to be especially helpful in managing the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which both Sabinsa (Natural Product Number 80071354) and the 88Herbs version (NPN 80081668) are licensed for.

LactoSpore appears to have numerous effects, including some that may relieve symptoms of major depression in people with IBS, but for IBS itself, its principal mechanisms of action are these. As these beneficial bacteria feed on (and ferment) carbohydrates and peptides, they emit certain by-products (aka 'postbiotics') as a result, including:
- short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which provide energy for the cells lining the colon and help maintain the integrity of the intestinal barrier, among other things;
- bacteriocin, an antimicrobial agent that inhibits E. coli and Staph (Staphylococcus aureus) infections and a variety of food-borne pathogens; and,
- the aforementioned lactic acid that alters the surrounding luminal pH to a more acidic one this type thrives in but many other types of bacteria do not.

History, Name Changes, and Variants

For those who might be interested in looking up some of the other extensive research associated with the broader species this particular strain belongs to, it should be noted that it had had numerous name changes over the past 110 years.

It was first discovered in Iowa in 1915 by Dr. B.W. Hammer, a milk scientist, as the culprit behind a spoiled batch of canned evaporated milk. (The cannery did attempt to sterilize the evaporated milk with high heat before canning, but this species tolerates heat so well that it survived.)

Dr. B.W. Hammer named it Bacillus coagulans at the time, since 1) its individual bacteria are rod-shaped ("Bacillus" is the Latin for "little staff" or "wand"), and 2) it caused the coagulation (as it fed on the lactose (milk sugar), it transformed it to lactic acid, which changed the pH and fermented the milk, causing it to separate into a watery liquid (whey) and solid curds, just like in traditional cheese production).

Somewhere along the line, the species also got classified by others as Lactobacillus coagulans, since it does indeed emit lactic acid (and is rod-shaped) like the other members of the Lactobacillus family.

When it was discovered it can form spores, that got amended to Lactobacillus sporogenes, in 1933. But when the scientific community realized that at least two other similar species can also reduce themselves to oval endospores and remain in this dormant state for years, they dropped the Lacto- prefix for those altogether and grouped all three together to distinguish Bacillus as a spore-based family. Of course, for this species, that made the last part redundant, so that got reverted back to coagulans, circa 1951.

More recently, as the scientists learned more and clarified the distinguishing criteria between the various families, the preceding names all got officially changed, first to Weizmannia coagulans (in 2021) and then to Heyndrickxia coagulans, shortly thereafter (in 2023). (The latest initial names are actually just the surnames of some two prominent microbiologists rather than descriptive; they're often abbreviated now as simply W. or H. coagulans when referring to this species.)

Some other individual strains all within this spore-forming bacteria family that you may see appearing in other formulations and studies include: Ganeden BC30, PROBACI, PTA-6086, PTA-11748, SANK 70258, SNZ 1969, and Unique IS-2.

Studies indicate that both that last one and the present one are the best at managing IBS symptoms, but they differ somewhat, with Unique IS-2 being somewhat better (or at least, better studied) with constipation, and this one for diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D), demonstrating clinically significant improvements in abdominal pain, bloating, stool formation, and overall Quality of Life for IBS sufferers.

References

Alternative Medicine Review. “Lactobacillus Sporogenes - Monograph." Alternative Medicine Review, 2002.

Health Canada. “The use of LactoSpore® as a food ingredient: Novel food information.” Novel Foods Section, Food Directorate, 2020.

Konuray, Gözde, and Zerrin Erginkaya. “Potential Use of Bacillus coagulans in the Food Industry.” Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 2018.

Majeed, Muhammed et al. “Probiotic modulation of gut microbiota by Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 in healthy subjects: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-control study.” Medicine, 2023.

Majeed, Muhammed et al. “The effects of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 on functional gas and bloating in adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.” Medicine, 2023.

Majeed, Muhammed et al. “Comparative evaluation for thermostability and gastrointestinal survival of probiotic Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856.” Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 2021.

Majeed, Muhammed et al. “Novel topical application of a postbiotic, LactoSporin®, in mild to moderate acne: a randomized, comparative clinical study to evaluate its efficacy, tolerability and safety” Cosmetics, 2020.

Majeed, Muhammed et al. “Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 for the management of major depression with irritable bowel syndrome: a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled, multi-centre, pilot clinical study.” Food & Nutrition Research, 2018.

Majeed, Muhammed et al. “A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel Study Evaluating the Safety of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 in Healthy Individuals.” Journal of Clinical Toxicology, 2016.

Majeed, Muhammed et al. “Evaluation of genetic and phenotypic consistency of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856: a commercial probiotic strain.” World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, 2016.

Majeed, Muhammed et al. “Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 supplementation in the management of diarrhea predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: a double blind randomized placebo controlled pilot clinical study.” Nutrition Journal, 2015.

Rao, Satish S C et al. “Brain fogginess, gas and bloating: a link between SIBO, probiotics and metabolic acidosis.” Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology, 2018.

Sarles, W.B. “Studies on Bacillus Coagulans.” Chapter 27 of B. W. Hammer: Panegyric, by R. E. Buchanan et al., Iowa State University Press, 1937.

Shinde, Tanvi, et al. "Probiotic Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 spores exhibit excellent in-vitro functional efficacy in simulated gastric survival, mucosal adhesion and immunomodulation." Journal of Functional Foods, 2019.

Xie, Peiwei et al. “Outcome-Specific Efficacy of Different Probiotic Strains and Mixtures in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.” Nutrients, 2023.

Zhang, Tao et al. “Efficacy of Probiotics for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.” Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2022.

List of Sabinsa's four Patents for "Composition for management of Helicobacter pylori infection": US 10,792,295; JP6839329; AU2018281141; and KR 10-2403453.