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IM8 is the new all-in-one supplement powder with an impressive ingredient list to ensure you feel your best. In part 1 and 2 of this series, I covered the vitamins and minerals listed in IM8’s Ultimate Daily Essentials ingredients list. After a recent experience with antibiotics, I thought this was a great time to cover the pro-biotic complex given their importance in building a vibrant and beautiful gut micro-biome.
What are pro-biotics?
If bugs give you the heeby-jeebys, I hate to break it to you but your body is full of bugs. Not the annoying kind that come out on a muggy day, but bacteria bugs. In fact, more of your biological material is bacteria than it is your biological material.
As in all things in life, there are good bacteria, and there are bad bacteria. When you microbiome is plentiful in good bacteria, just about every system in the body benefits. When there is bad bacteria, you start to run into things like skin issues, digestive problems, and even a weakened immune system.
IM8 has included 2 pro-biotics in their pro-biotic complex, Bacillus coagulans BC99 and Bacillus subtilis DE111. That looks like science mumbo-jumbo right now, but hopefully by the end you’ll understand why these were chosen for this supplement and how it benefits your day-to-day wellbeing.
Bacillus Coagulans BC99
This strain of probiotic was specifically chosen for IM8 daily supplement because it has been shown in studies to directly affect your body’s ability to build muscle. Building muscle is a complex process that combines both physical activity, and the breakdown of muscle tissue, and the consumption of proteins, which are broken down into the useful building blocks for new muscle tissue.
In a study published to Nutrients in 2024, they looked at how BC99 impacted the various factors that can improve muscle development in the body. They made a number of important observations from the double-blind, placebo study.
For starters, the participants who were taking the probiotic saw a increase in fat-free mass, a decrease in fat mass, and a slight decrease in total weight. Good news for folks who are working out and wanting to see results on the scale.
They also discovered that in the participants who were taking BC99, their body was able to digest more of the proteins, resulting in more available amino acids in their tests. This is important because in order for your body to actually use all the great protein you are feeding it, it needs to be able to break as much of it down as possible. For many people, there is a limit to how much protein can be broken down by your body, and so you end up excreting byproducts of the protein, instead of using all of it.
With the addition of BC99, more of the protein was being broken down, which meant that body had more of the building blocks necessary to increase muscle mass. This is means less waste, and more gains.
The final observation that I found interesting was BC99’s impact on GLP-1. Yes, the same GLP-1 that has taken the world by storm in products like Ozempic. GLP-1 is something that our body naturally produces, but how much we have of it depends on several factors. Turns out, BC99 is able to increase the amount of GLP-1 in the body.
Does this mean you’ll get Ozempic-like weight-loss results from adding this probiotic to your diet? No, but in my opinion, having something that naturally increases your GLP-1 levels is a much safer approach.
On a final note, the study I am referencing here, along with many other studies related to BC99 all mention that the improvements began after about week 4 of the intervention. The impacts on GLP-1 and protein digestion were observed after 12 weeks of intervention, while the participants followed a regular exercise routine. I mention this as a reminder that it will take time, consistency and regular exercise to maximize this probiotic’s benefits.
Bacillus subtilis DE111
When doing my research on this probiotic, it was interesting to see what types of results came up. The majority of the research is looking into DE111’s impact on immune function and the function of the small intestine.
These functions are common among probiotic strains. At the very least, your probiotics should colonize the gut and result in better immune function and regular digestion.
I was able to find one study on the impact of DE111 on Div 1 female athletes. They were originally looking to see if the probiotic had any impact on their athletic performance, but observed something else instead. Although their 1RMs did not improve, they did notice that the participants who were on the probiotic had a statistically significant decrease in bodyfat percentage.
The studies may be small, but from what I’ve read so far, Bacillus subtilis DE111 was chosen to work together with Bacillus Coagulans BC99 to colonize the gut with bacteria that would not only support healthy immune and digestive function, but that were also equipped to support someone who is physically active.
IM8 is, after all, designed in partnership with David Beckham. So the ingredients they’ve chosen are all designed to not just improve overall health, but to support someone living an active lifestyle.
Final Thoughts on Pro-Biotic Complex
As we go further into these ingredient deep dives, I am beginning to notice a trend. Not only have their gone with the best sources for vitamins and minerals, but when it came time to select a pro-biotic complex, it appears that they were very intentional with their selection.
Just two strains were chosen for Ultimate Daily Essentials powder. In my research, many studies talked about 2 very common pro-biotics: Bifidobacterium, and lactobacillus. IM8 could have easily gone with these and called it a day, but instead they sought out the 2 very specific strains of probiotics that have shown promising results for healthy, physically active folks.
I originally set out to demystify probiotics for you in this blog and would love to know how you feel about IM8 and their choice of probiotics? Let me know in the comments below!
To read more IM8 content, check out the blogs below.
Riley Pearce 