Lyvecap restores athlete gut microbiome with reusable bottle probiotics cap system

04 Mar 2021 --- Lyvecap is launching its first sports nutrition product, a probiotics cap system called Strong. The system packs 200 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) from eight scientifically crafted strains into one cap taken daily, which are inserted into a reusable bottle. 

Consumers can fill their reusable bottles with any cold non-carbonated beverage, pull the Lyvecap tab to break the safety seal, push the cap down to release probiotics into the bottle, shake and drink.

The formula is designed to mix into liquids, allowing the probiotics to arrive in the gut with minimal degradation from the stomach’s harsh acidic environment.

“Our intention is to shift the paradigm from treating disease to preventing disease by healing and supporting your gut health while making it convenient,” says CEO and founder Yinka Davies.

The launch is Lyvecap’s first product designed to demystify gut health confusion. Together with NutritionInsight, Davies dispels the main probiotics misconceptions and details Strong’s environmental benefits.

Three main probiotic myths 
“All probiotics are equal” is a myth, says Davies, a Stanford University-trained pediatric gastroenterologist. 

“The different strains, the dosing and the storage method of each probiotic make a huge difference in the efficacy and usefulness of the product.”The Strong probiotic cap released.

Neither is the effect of probiotics immediate, she continues. “It takes time to culture good bacteria in your gut, so many will not feel the effects of taking a quality probiotic for a couple of weeks,” Davies explains.

Consequently, taking probiotics once in a while will not yield true effectiveness, according to Davies, contrary to popular belief. “Probiotics must be taken daily for the good bacteria from the probiotic to grow and culture in the gut,” she maintains.

“The ‘every once in a while’ drinks, or one-off, pre-made beverages are not allowing real change to happen in your gut.”

NutritionInsight recently spoke with probiotics developer Chr. Hansen on the misconceptions surrounding “the more the better” misunderstanding of CFUs and the importance of strain specificity.

Steady with subscription models
To provide athletes with daily probiotics, Strong arrives as a subscription-based product. At US$150 per month, it is shipped to users’ doors every 30 days.

“When we compare the quality and premium nature of our probiotic with that of alternatives, Lyvecap’s US$150 monthly price point is a huge bargain,” Davies explains. 

“We value the quality of our formula to truly make a difference in our athletes’ performance over the marketing price point.”

Broadly tapping into the personalization trend, subscription models are becoming increasingly popular in the nutrition industry. Examples of monthly supplement subscription programs from the past year range from vitamins to fortified baby food and botanicals for sleep.

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of global consumers in a 2020 Innova Market Insights Consumer Survey note they have found more ways to tailor purchased products with their lifestyles, beliefs and needs. 

Climate-focused
To ensure all 200 billion CFUs arrive alive, the Strong caps are offered in climate-controlled boxes. “Many other companies say they have x-amount of CFUs, but the consumer ends up with far fewer CFUs due to improper storage and degradation of the product,” Davies explains.

Moreover, the probiotics’ controlled release into the bottle protects bacteria from oxidation, prevents spillage and enables the bacteria to mix straight away with the beverage of choice.

New probiotic caps arrive every month, but subscribers can reuse the same bottle each time. “We sought to reduce single-use plastic bottles that are apparent in other probiotic drinks,” she notes.

Lyvecap packs 200 billion CFUs composed of eight strains into one daily cap.Additionally, the bottle is insulated to keep beverages at the desired temperature in any weather.

Probiotics in sports nutrition
The Strong formula consist of 3 g leucine, 1 g taurine and the following eight probiotic strains:

• Streptococcus thermophilus (DSM 32245)
• Bifidobacterium lactis (DSM 32246)
• Bifidobacterium lactis (DSM 32247)
• Lactobacillus acidophilus (DSM 32241)
• Lactobacillus helveticus (DSM 32242)
• Lactobacillus paracasei (DSM 32244)
• Lactobacillus plantarum (DSM 32244)
• Lactobacillus brevis (DSM 27961)

In Davies’ experience, probiotics for sports nutrition have been growing in importance and interest over the past several years.

Data from Innova Market Insights reveals this space is still not as established as other staple sports nutrition ingredients.

For example, the Soft Drinks category made up just 3 percent of 2019 global F&B and supplement launches tracked with probiotics. This was behind Dairy & Dairy Alternatives (44 percent), Supplements (27 percent), Baby & Toddlers (16 percent) and Others (10 percent).

Still, digestive health remains a key positioning for probiotics innovation. Thirty-nine percent of 2019 global product launches tracked with probiotics were positioned with Digestive/Gut Health. This was ahead of Probiotic (25 percent) and Digestive/Liver Health (21 percent).

By Anni Schleicher