Indra Balaratnam (3rd from left), Jon Lai (4th from left), Prof Dr Tan (5th from left) during The Gut Show

Introduce Gut-Friendly Foods As GERD Rises

Nattome launched its The Gut Show showcase and released the 1st clinical study in Malaysia on the efficacy of fermented soybean for gut health. UCSI University backs this research as a collaborative effort.

The current lifestyle has led many individuals to face the following:
– Stress.
– Poor lifestyle habits.
– Imbalance eating habits.

These will easily trigger gastrointestinal issues. WHO has shown that 1 in 3 people suffer from a digestive disorder at any time. Overall, gut diseases are ranked 4th as the main reason for many hospitalizations in Malaysia.

70% of our immune system is in the gut, hence it’s important to have a healthy gut.

Common gut-related issues are:
– Bloating.
– Indigestion.
– Irritable bowel syndrome.
– Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

GERD patients alone have an increase of 78% (1.03 billion) over the past 30 years worldwide. Last year, BMC Gastroenterology published that an estimated of individuals suffering from GERD is 13.98% of the adult population worldwide.

Currently, GERD is rising in Malaysia and 9.7% of the country’s population is affected.

During the media launch, Head in Medicine and Health Sciences Assistant Professor TS Dr Tan Chung Keat explained that GERD is getting out of control. GERD can be treated with medications or in severe cases, surgery is the solution. Prof Dr Tan shares insights into natural functional foods to treat GERD naturally.

“Functional foods are not just about nutrition; they are about natural foods or supplementation that optimises health and helps prevent disease. One good functional food is fermented soybean which is a primary plant-based protein source in East Asian countries. Soybean is a staple food and a crucial crop in many Asian countries with domestic and international demands causing an increase in acreage of the corp countries in Asia (28 to 40% in the last 15 years), America and Europe. Fermented soybean offers more health benefits than its unfermented counterpart, is recognised for its therapeutic effects and has been proven to possess anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory properties,” explains Prof Dr Tan.

Nattome and UCSI University collaborated to conduct independent research which led to the launch of Malaysia’s 1st clinical study on the efficacy of fermented soybean in treating gut health issues.

Fermented soybean is the key ingredient present in Nattome’s food-based solution, used in the research. The study lasted 12 weeks with 110 participants who suffered from heartburn, acid reflux, regurgitation and non-cardiac chest pain.

The results revealed significant improvement in GERD symptoms, quality of life and reduction in inflammatory levels among Nattome users.

Here is what they found:
– 47.6% reduction in heartburn symptoms.
– 40.9% reduction in indigestion symptoms.
– 62.9% reduction in regurgitation (dyspepsia) symptoms.
– between 19.8% to 43.5% for various inflammation issues.
– 13.3% improvement in overall quality of life in reflux and dyspepsia (QOLRAD).

QOLRAD is a disease-specific assessment tool which tells the psychometric conditions of the participants. The study showed that the participants who were on Nattome’s supplements showed improvement in vitality (16.7%), eating and drinking issues (15.1%), emotional distress (13.3%), sleep disturbances (12.3%) and social functioning (10.8%).

Founder and CEO of Nattome, Jon Lai shared that he suffered from serious gut health issues during his earlier working years. Hence, he started Nattome, a scientifically-backed food-based product to help alleviate and prevent stomach-related issues.

At the end of the study, 96% of the participants said that Nattome supplementation effectively improves GERD symptoms, reduces inflammation, and improves their quality of life.

“Nattome’s key products are Stomach Food and R&R (Repair and Relief) supplementation, crafted from entirely natural food ingredients and mainly fermented soybeans, a patented component derived from Japanese fermentation technology. Nattome poses these 6 major benefits including optimising gastric pH value, strengthening gastric lining and immune system, soothing heartburn, improving indigestion, relieving bloating and promoting gut health,” said Jon.

Certified dietitian, Indra Balaratnam said “A healthy gut ensures proper digestion of the food and drinks you consume every day. When the foods are digested well, your body’s cells can absorb the nutrients from the foods so that they become the foundation of your overall good health, strengthening your immunity and reducing your risk for chronic diseases. Daily good habits for maintaining a healthy gut are eating a balanced diet of a variety of whole grains, lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds to support the good functioning of the digestive organs; regular exercise, keeping stress levels low and getting sufficient sleep.

One’s eating and lifestyle habits are important components in managing GERD and minimising discomfort. To do this, practice mindful eating to avoid food and drinks that trigger heartburn and acid reflux; eat small, frequent meals; include probiotic-rich food daily, eat no later than 3 to 4 hours before bedtime and avoid doing vigorous activity soon after a meal are strategies that effectively help to tame GERD discomforts,” advised Indra.

“Nattome also kicked off a key partnership with Caring Pharmacy Group. This partnership aims to enhance the accessibility of Nattome’s products through Caring Pharmacy’s extensive network of 250 retail outlets. With this, Nattome products would be available in a total of 500 outlets to date,” said Jon.

For more information about Nattome, please log on to their website.