Comment by pazimzadeh
17 hours ago
Here are the ingredients: https://mbiota.com/cdn/shop/files/OriginalFlavor-Nutrition.p...
Study design:
Eligible subjects underwent 1 week of screening, 2 weeks of exclusive oral PED, and 2 weeks of follow-up after returning to their regular diet (Supplemental Figure 1). The primary endpoint was the change in stool microbiome after PED and regular food reintroduction. Secondary endpoints included tolerance, LBT normalization rate, stool form changes, symptomatic response, and adverse events. The PED (mBiota Elemental, Good LFE, Santa Monica, USA) was provided in 300-calorie packets, adjusted eucalorically to each participant’s caloric needs (Supplemental Figure 2).
Additional packets were provided for hunger, with daily consumption documented. Water intake was unrestricted, but other foods were prohibited during the diet phase. After completing the diet, participants transitioned to bland foods (e.g., rice, potatoes, eggs, chicken, beef) for 2–3 days before resuming their regular diet.
It looks it contains mostly amino acids and vitamins, usually found in other fitness supplements. Is there any "secret sauce" that I am missing?
It’s amino acids, fats, and sugar in a ratio that mirrors the elements of a standard diet.
It’s not a supplement. It has to replace your diet completely for 2 weeks, no exceptions.
By consuming amino acids instead of proteins (which are composed of amino acids) and omitting fiber it starves skips straight to absorption and starves the bacterial overgrowth.
It’s an old concept. The unique part of this one is that it supposedly tastes okay.
Yeah, the taste matters if you are going to eat it for 2 weeks :). You will probably still hate it after the first week, but it is just one week of misery instead of two. I did some fasting in the past, leaving only water, tea (no sugar) and peeled apples in my diet. Had to do it for 2 weeks, but only made it to the 11th day. The issue with that one was the low calories, which doesn't correspond well with active work (I did not plan properly to take the second week off). Nevertheless, it helped solve the colitis issue, with which I'd been struggling for a few months. An interesting observation was that up to say day 4 or 5 you actually have more energy and sleep less. But after that it was a bit of a struggle to retain the same levels of energy and be productive at work.
The secret sauce, so to say, is that it's not a supplement, it's all you eat for the duration of the treatment. As someone who was on a liquid only diet for six weeks following a surgery, I can't imagine this being anything short of absolutely miserable.