Theakine IBS-C: our Supplement Solution for IBS-C
For years, Adamas Biotech has been engaged in the development of nutraceutical solutions for individual well-being. Over the last three years, we have focused our research and development activities on the needs of people living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation (IBS-C), with the aim of offering innovative, scientifically grounded solutions consistent with the complexity of this condition.
Adamas Biotech’s Approach
In this context Adamas Biotech developed Theakine® IBS-C, a food supplement designed to act in a multifactorial way on irritable bowel syndrome with predominant constipation.
Notified to the Italian Ministry of Health in February 2025 and ready for commercialization, Theakine® IBS-C is formulated as two gastro-resistant capsules to be taken daily:
- One morning capsule containing Theaphenon E®, a patented green tea extract.The gastro-resistant technology helps protect green tea polyphenols from degradation in the upper gastrointestinal tract, increasing the likelihood that they reach the intestine in a more preserved form, where they can be absorbed or transformed by the microbiota into bioactive metabolites.
- One evening capsule containing a selected blend of three probiotic strains. In this case, the gastro-resistant formulation helps the microorganisms pass intact through the gastric environment, allowing them to reach the intestine, where they can exert their activity.
The choice of a two-capsule regimen stems from a precise formulation rationale: to avoid possible interactions between green tea extract and probiotics and to optimize the activity of each component.
In addition, to ensure the probiotic content declared on the label, each strain is over-dosed fivefold during production.
The rationale of the project is based on previous in vitro1 and in vivo2 evidence indicating benefits for gut health from both Theaphenon E®, our proprietary green tea extract,and the probiotic blend, evaluated separately. We chose to enhance their synergy by developing an original and patented formulation combining green tea polyphenols and probiotics within an innovative approach targeted at IBS-C.
A Project Recognized and Supported by the National Biodiversity Future Center
The scientific and innovative value of the project was also recognized by the National Biodiversity Future Center, which supported its development path with a dedicated grant. This contribution accompanied the project from the proof of concept to clinical validation in subjects affected by IBS-C. Development therefore did not stop at formulation, but followed a structured path consistent with a vision of nutraceutical innovation based on evidence and validation.
Clinical Results
Clinical validation was carried out through a randomized controlled clinical trial involving 64 patients with IBS-C followed for 84 days (56 days of treatment plus 28 days of follow-up). Patients in the investigational group took one green tea capsule in the morning and one probiotic capsule in the evening for 56 days, and assessments were performed at three time points (T1: 28 days, T2: 56 days, and T3: 84 days).
Compared with placebo, treatment with Theakine® IBS-C showed:
- A statistically and clinically significant reduction in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS), with patients shifting on average from a moderate IBS condition to a mild one after 1–2 months of treatment, and maintenance of the benefit even one month after the treatment period.
- A significant improvement in quality of life in both the physical and mental components during the treatment period.
- A shift toward an overall more normal stool consistency, according to the Bristol Stool Scale.
- An increase in the number of weekly bowel movements, from approximately 1.5 to around 3, with persistence of the effect at follow-up.
At the symptom level, the treated group also showed:
- A reduction in bloating, abdominal distension, and a sense of heaviness.
- A particularly relevant finding from both a clinical and practical perspective: a reduced need for rescue treatments, i.e. as-needed laxatives, compared with placebo. In the group treated with the supplement, the percentage of subjects resorting to rescue treatments decreased over time, falling from 54% at baseline to 34% at T1, and then to 19% at both T2 and T3. At the same time, the proportion of patients who did not require rescue treatment increased from 46% initially to 81% in the final assessments. In the placebo group, by contrast, the use of rescue treatments remained substantially stable throughout the study, fluctuating between 50% and 59%, without showing a comparable reduction.
This is an important result, because it suggests not only an improvement in clinical parameters, but also a reduced need for occasional interventions to manage symptoms.
Looking at IBS with Greater Awareness
IBS is not “just an intestinal discomfort,” nor is it a condition to be minimized. It is a complex, heterogeneous, and multifactorial syndrome involving the gut-brain axis, the microbiota, barrier function, motility, visceral sensitivity, and the person’s overall quality of life.
This is why accurate information, greater awareness, and solutions capable of addressing the complexity of the problem through new, integrated, and research-supported approaches are needed.
With Theakine® IBS-C, Adamas Biotech is concretely pursuing this vision: developing innovative, science-based nutraceutical solutions designed to improve the well-being of people who live every day with irritable bowel syndrome.
1 Yang J, Chen W, Chen J, Xie D, Wang Y, Zhou J. Tea Polyphenol Epigallocatechin Gallate and the Gut-Health Axis: Unraveling Structural Characteristics, Metabolic Pathways, and Systemic Benefits. Adv Nutr. 2025;16(12):100545. doi:10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100545.
2 Mezzasalma V, Manfrini E, Ferri E, et al. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial: The Efficacy of Multispecies Probiotic Supplementation in Alleviating Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Associated with Constipation. Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:4740907. doi:10.1155/2016/4740907.
