We regularly get asked where the full list of our ingredients is. The answer is - it’s only the two ingredients listed. There are no additional fillers are stabilizers present. Nothing more and nothing less than what’s listed on the label.

L. Plantarum 299v (LP299V®) is the probiotic we use in our back to balance plus. LP299V® is the most clinically documented strain of L. plantarum in the world. It has been discussed in more than 200 scientific publications out of which 65 are human clinical studies. 

We formulated our product with this strain due to the evidence to support it’s use in treating bloating, gas and abdominal pain.

Most fibers help alleviate constipation, but rarely address diarrhea or loose stools. Rarely do you find a versatile prebiotic fiber that can help with both constipation and diarrha. Sunfiber® can help to alleviate occasional constipation and diarrhea by helping food move through the gut at the right pace; improving stool consistency and regularity of bowel movements. Sunfiber® is generally well tolerated compared to other types of prebiotic fibers. 

One reason we put sunfiber in our back to balance plus is for it’s adaptability. Sunfiber® is highly soluble in water, colorless, odorless, tasteless, fodmap friendly and gluten free. It is also extremely resistant to high temperatures just like our probiotic so can be consumed in hot beverages with no issues.

A study showed that a fruit drink with LP299V® was able to significantly reduce flatulence. Number of days with abundant gas production was also significantly and more rapidly decreased in the LP299V® group compared to placebo. 

The effects of LP299V® given to IBS subjects have been evaluated in two larger clinical studies: one placebo-controlled including 204 people, and one in a real-life, non-placebo controlled study including 221 people. Both studies found significant improvements in both severity and frequency of bloating and flatulence, as well as several other benefits.

Sunfiber also has some beneficial effects on reducing gas and bloating. In a double blind, placebo controlled study of 108 patients, significant reduction in gas and bloating was found after 2 months of taking 6 grams of sunfiber.

LP299V® has successfully been shown to reduce both the severity and frequency of pain in several studies. In one study, participants received either placebo or LP299V® for 4 weeks in a fruit drink. Already after one week of intake, 70% of the participants in the LP299V® group reported a significant pain relief. 

At the end of the study, complete resolution of abdominal pain was found in the LP299V® group, compared to 55% of the subjects receiving placebo who still reported pain. The studies in further studies have confirmed these results, showing significantly reduced severity and frequency of abdominal pain.

Several studies have also shown the impact of using sunfiber to reduce abdominal pain. After two months of taking sunfiber, significant reductions in abdominal pain were found after 2 months of taking sunfiber.

Improved stool frequency is another effect seen after intake of LP299V®. The probiotic strain has been shown to help with both constipation and with diarrhea. Significant reductions in urgency of bowel movements has also been found using this strain of probiotic.

Regular intake of 5-10 g/d of Sunfiber was also found to be effective for normalizing both constipation and diarrhea as well as alleviating symptoms and normalizing stool patterns. Sunfiber promotes digestive health and when combined with probiotics offers a synergistic benefit.

Patients with active UC, supplemented with an oat gruel fermented with LP299V®, had significantly improved symptoms during a 24-week period. The results were confirmed in a randomized study comparing a drink containing LP299V® to a similar product without the probiotic strain. 

The mechanisms previously described for LP299V® may also explain the beneficial effects on symptoms of other types of IBD. Studies show links between improvement of IBD symptoms and immune-related mechanisms, production of mucus, strengthening of tight junctions, and inhibition of translocation.

One of the nutrition goals with inflammatory bowel disease is to help to encourage the growth of helpful gut bacteria and encourage the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA’s) like butyrate which can help with lowering inflammation. Several studies have shown Sunfiber to be effective in increasing beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus and bifidobacteria and SCFAs in the gut. Stool consistency and abdominal pain were also alleviated in human studies, making PHGG a promising therapeutic for IBD.

Assisting with improved Iron uptake seems to be a strain-specific property unique to LP299V®. The effect of LP299V® on iron absorption has been studied in several clinical studies in women, as well as in animal studies. LP299V® has been proven to increase iron absorption and improve iron status.

Although it might seem like another probiotic listed as “lactobacillus plantarum” would be the same or similar to lactobacillus plantarum 299v but they are actually quite different. When it comes to probiotics, the last part of the name tells us quite a lot about what’s being used. What can be confusing for many consumers is that many products do not list which strain is being used. There can be hundreds of different types of lactobacillus plantarum strains, but not all have research to back up their use. When it comes to probiotics, we advise you avoid purchasing from companies who are not transparent about what’s in their products (like which strain is being used).

The probiotic strain LP299V® was isolated from healthy human intestinal mucosa three decades ago. It is not derived from dairy and our product is dairy free.

Both ingredients used in our product can be used in hot liquids without compromising the quality. One of the reasons we love the LP299V® strain is that it handles heat very well. Studies on it so far show that heat exposure (like putting some in tea or coffee) doesn’t affect the potency. However, we wouldn’t recommend storing it in heat long term.

Every probiotic is quite different in what it can survive. The LP299V® strain we used in back to balance survives the digestive tract well and can make it all the way down to the lower digestive tract where the impact counts the most. 

Sunfiber: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rQg6fsqokYMLg48FQJs8EfhGoTr03L4yx4y65fGpZe8/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.gbzow2w8ztz5

299v clinical document:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ThIwoe_1H0E-ixGi194UI2s9-5XsMm5qaD4an45oyrM/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.7rb3n4njdqw3