WO2025163169A1

WO2025163169A1 - Probiotic composition for weight management

Info

Publication number: WO2025163169A1
Application number: PCT/EP2025/052576
Authority: WO
Inventors: Samir BOUASKER; Mathieu Millette
Original assignee: Kerry Group Services International Ltd
Current assignee: Zenbury International Ltd Ireland
Priority date: 2024-02-01
Filing date: 2025-01-31
Publication date: 2025-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2026-08-01

Abstract

The present invention is in the field of weight management, prevention of weight gain, weight loss, prevention and treatment of metabolic syndromes. The invention relates to compositions for treating or preventing excess body weight, excess body fat, pre-clinical obesity, obesity and/or metabolic syndrome. In particular, the invention relates to probiotic compositions for treating or preventing excess body weight, excess body fat, pre-clinical obesity, obesity and/or metabolic syndrome.

Description

PROBIOTIC COMPOSITION FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT Field of the invention The present invention is in the field of weight management, prevention of weight gain, weight loss, prevention and treatment of metabolic syndromes. Specifically, the present invention relates to a Lactobacillus acidophilus strain and its use in weight management, prevention of weight gain, weight loss, prevention and treatment of metabolic syndromes. Background of the invention The association between diet and life expectancy infer the tight connection between being healthy and eating well. More scientific evidence has recently emerged that widens this concept by including more habits that are essential in maintaining health and in protecting against diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Such habits include adopting an active lifestyle and reducing consumption of toxic substances such as tobacco and alcohol. The link between food quality, quantity and lifespan is obvious. Generally, high caloric food intake with low intake of fiber and fermented foods leads to body fat accumulation, mediated by hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance mechanisms, which contribute to hyperactive stimulation of intracellular biochemical pathways with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and free radicals; these effects have a detrimental effect on cellular aging, innate immunity and protection against environmental stress. As a result, life duration is affected. The gut microbiota is composed of 10¹⁴ micro-organisms specifically adapted to this particular environment, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi with mutualistic interaction. Distributed throughout the small intestine and the colon, the microbiota creates a protective ecosystem between lumen and mucus layer, relevant in many biological functions with a central role in human health. For example, humans lack orthologues to certain bacterial enzymes which are required to produce essential compounds for mammalian and human life. By digestion of complex substrates, the microbiota synthesizes many essential molecules like short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and vitamins. The gut microbiota interacts with both host diet and metabolism. It has previously been reported that bacterial populations can influence caloric absorption of the host, such as the ratio between Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes which has been linked to metabolic syndrome and obesity. The nature of food intake itself could change the gut microbiota’s composition with metabolic consequences: consumption of western-type diet and/or food lacking non-digestible fiber could lead to dysbiosis and endotoxemia due to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) release. As a result of LPS release, low-grade inflammation is established through the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the recruitment of additional immune cells to the intestinal tract. This creates a localized inflammatory environment and increases the permeability of the intestinal barrier. Once the integrity of the barrier is affected, chronic metabolic diseases (such as obesity or fat accumulation, among others) could develop. Several examples of an interaction between dysbiosis and metabolic disorder are known and have been described. For instance, antibiotics are widely used in animal production to positively influence growth and it was documented that the mechanism of action involves modulation of natural microbial balance. Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Originally, those benefits were viewed as restricted to the gastrointestinal tract, helping to maintain a balanced and rich microbiota and conferring resistance to infection and protecting against the overgrowth of opportunistic microbes and pathogens. Extensive in vitro research and clinical studies using mainly lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and yeast species clearly demonstrate a protection or a reduction of infection against intestinal pathogens such as H. pylori and Salmonella. These positive effects on the prevention and/or treatment of infections are not limited to the gastrointestinal tract but improvements have been documented for infections in the respiratory tract and bacterial vaginosis. Direct inhibition of pathogenic bacteria growth by probiotics may occur by one or more mechanisms of action including; secretion of bactericidal bacteriocins and organic acids, competition for nutritional substrates and direct interference of adhesion of pathogens to the intestinal mucosa. Modulation of the immune system and immune response by probiotics is an alternative and common mechanism that allows probiotics to act indirectly on various organs distal to the gastrointestinal tract and extend health benefits to the whole body. Lactobacillus acidophilus CL1285 is a probiotic manufactured in a formulation with Lacticaseibacillus casei LBC80R and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CLR2 (Bio-K+), and commercialized in the US, in Canada, in Europe and also in China. While preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated the efficiency of the lactobacilli formulation in Clostridioides difficile infection prevention and a possible mechanism of action, little is known about other potential health benefits. We therefore exploited Caenorhabditis elegans, a recognized animal model for probiotic and bacteria-host interaction, to further characterize the potential health benefits of the CL1285 strain. The probiotic product combining L. acidophilus CL1285, L. casei LBC80R, and L. rhamnosus CLR2 has been shown to prevent primary Clostridioides difficile infection in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled clinical study and in vitro data suggest a mechanism of action based on direct inhibition of C. difficile growth. However, other potential beneficial effects of this formulation on human health have not yet been evaluated. Caenorhabditis elegans has become a major model organism to study the molecular mechanism of aging and recently has been recognized in the probiotic field as a valuable model to evaluate the effects of beneficial bacteria as several features regarding host-bacterial interaction are conserved between humans and nematodes (Kwon et al., 2016). At least 83% of C. elegans protein sequences have human homologues and only 11 % are specific to the nematode. Although the composition of C. elegans gut microbiota differs from humans, it remains an easy and straightforward model to study putative probiotic effects on fat accumulation, oxidative stress and aging. Moreover, the genes involved in lifespan regulation are associated with evolutionarily conserved pathways, such as insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IIS) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) pathways. For the IIS pathway, it has been shown that mutations in the gene daf-2 can cause a life extension and nematodes are able to live more than twice as long as wild type (WT). It has also been demonstrated that the lifespan extension requires the activity of a second gene, daf-16, as the daf-16 mutant has a reduced lifespan compared to WT. The p38 MAPK pathway is involved in lifespan regulation via the capacity to control innate immunity, to resist to bacterial pathway pathogens and to modulate oxidative stress response. PMK-1, the terminal kinase of p38 MAPK pathway is responsible for the nuclear localisation of a specific SKN-1 transcription factor, in the context of oxidative stress. An advantage of C. elegans worms as a model organism is to provide a unique preclinical screening model to evaluate the effects of probiotics in various environmental conditions and genetic backgrounds. C. elegans is easy to culture, and its short lifespan makes it a useful model organism for biological research. Summary of the invention The inventors have surprisingly found that the intake of Lactobacillus acidophilus, for example L. acidophilus CL1285, is useful for weight management, prevention of weight gain, weight loss, management of body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), prevention of gain in body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), mitigation of metabolic syndrome, and treatment or prevention of oxidative stress. For example, L. acidophilus, for example L. acidophilus CL1285, might be administered to manage weight, reduce/prevent weight gain, increase weight loss, manage body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reduce/prevent gain in body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reduce body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), mitigate metabolic syndrome, and/or treat or prevent of oxidative stress; in humans and other animals such as livestock and pets. Examples of livestock include cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, and/or chicken, while examples of pets include cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and/or gerbil. The bacterial strain Lactobacillus acidophilus CL1285 has been deposited as biological material under the terms of the Budapest Treaty on 10 December 2008, at the COLLECTION NATIONALE DE CULTURES DE MICROORGANISMES (CNCM), INSTITUT PASTEUR, 25 RUE DU DOCTEUR ROUX, 75724 PARIS CEDEX 15, FRANCE and accorded accession number CNCM I-4099. This biological material accorded accession number CNCM I-4099 was deposited by M FRANCOIS M. LUQUET, 41 RUE ARISTIDE BRIAND, 91400 ORSAY, FRANCE. Accession number CNCM I-4099 refers to a bacterial strain which has the following taxonomic description: Domain: Bacteria Phylum: Bacillota (previously Firmicutes) Class: Bacilli Order: Lactobacillales Family: Lactobacillaceae Genus: Lactobacillus Species: L. acidophilus Strain number: CL1285 (CNCM I-4099) Accession number CNCM I-4099 refers to a bacterial strain which has the following morphological and biochemical characteristics: Rod-shaped, with rounded ends that occur as single cells, as well as in pairs or in short chains. Accession number CNCM I-4099 refers to a bacterial strain which is a gram-positive, homofermentative, microaerophilic, nonflagellated, nonmotile, and nonspore-forming bacterium. Accession number CNCM I-4099 refers to a bacterial strain which is able to degrade multiple sugars and transforms it into lactic acid. Accession number CNCM I-4099 refers to a bacterial strain which grows well in de Man, Rogosa, Sharpe (MRS) medium, with optimal growth conditions at a temperature ranging from 30 to 37°C, and without oxygen or under an environment with a reduced level of oxygen. Lactobacillus acidophilus is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is part of the genus Lactobacillus. It is known for its probiotic properties and is commonly found in the human gastrointestinal tract, mouth, and vagina, as well as in fermented foods like yogurt. Morphology and Physiology Shape and Size: L. acidophilus is a non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium, typically measuring 2-10 µm in length. Gram Stain: It is Gram-positive, indicating a thick peptidoglycan layer in its cell wall. Oxygen Requirement: It is a microaerophilic organism, meaning it requires low levels of oxygen for growth. Fermentation: L. acidophilus is homofermentative, producing lactic acid as the primary metabolic end product from carbohydrate fermentation. Temperature and pH: It grows optimally at 37°C and prefers acidic environments, thriving at pH levels below 5.0. Biochemical Characteristics Catalase Test: L. acidophilus is catalase-negative, which is typical for lactic acid bacteria. Carbohydrate Utilization: It can ferment a variety of carbohydrates, including glucose, lactose, and maltose, producing lactic acid. Bacteriocins: This species produces bacteriocins, which are antimicrobial peptides that inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Ecological and Probiotic Significance Habitat: L. acidophilus is naturally found in the human gastrointestinal tract, where it contributes to the maintenance of a healthy gut microbiota. Probiotic Effects: It is widely used in probiotic supplements and fermented dairy products due to its ability to improve digestion, enhance immune function, and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. Applications Food Industry: L. acidophilus is used in the production of fermented dairy products like yogurt and kefir. Its probiotic properties make it a valuable addition to functional foods aimed at promoting gut health. The terms “CNCM I-4099” and “I-4099” are used herein synonymously to refer to the same accession number. Caenorhabditis elegans has recently become appreciated as a powerful model to study and select probiotics for specific functions. L. acidophilus CL1285, L. casei LBC80R, and L. rhamnosus CLR2, three bacteria marketed by Bio-K+, were evaluated using the nematode C. elegans model for their ability to affect fat accumulation, lifespan and oxidative resistance. While general benefits common to probiotics were observed regarding oxidative stress protection, an interesting and specific feature of the strain CL1285 was prevention of fat accumulation by both the Oil Red and Nile Red methods. This observed phenotype requires daf-16 and is affected by glucose level. In addition, in a daf-16- and glucose-dependent way, CL1285 extended the C. elegans lifespan and compared to other L. acidophilus strains. The findings indicate that the probiotic L. acidophilus CL1285 strain affects fat/glucose metabolism in C. elegans and provides an indication that this probiotic may provide uncharacterized health benefits in mammalian models, companion animals and humans. This application describes results obtained with C. elegans to study Bio-K+ probiotic strains individually and highlights interesting findings of one strain, L. acidophilus CL1285, in fat accumulation, longevity and oxidative stress. Using high glucose exposure and daf-16 genetic background, a mutant of insulin and IGF-1 signalling (IIS) pathway signalling, we concluded about the specificity of the observed properties. Moreover, comparison of CL1285 to other L. acidophilus strains has demonstrated the benefit of this strain in weight regulation. A first aspect of the present invention relates to a composition comprising a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Put another way, optionally the bacteria is L. acidophilus CNCM I-4099. Put another way, optionally the bacteria is L. acidophilus CL1285. Optionally, the invention relates to a probiotic composition comprising a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of the bacteria. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of L. acidophilus. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the bacteria is alive. Optionally, the bacteria selected from L. acidophilus is alive. Optionally, the strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099 is alive. Optionally, the composition comprises a live bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a live bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition comprises a live bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a live bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition comprises 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises an amount of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU to 200 billion CFU, or 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU, or 20 million CFU to 50 billion CFU, or 50 million CFU to 30 billion CFU, or 100 million CFU to 20 billion CFU, or 200 million CFU to 10 billion CFU, or 400 million CFU to 5 billion CFU, or 500 million CFU to 1 billion CFU. Optionally, the composition comprises a concentration of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU/g to 200 billion CFU/g, or 10 million CFU/g to 100 billion CFU/g, or 20 million CFU/g to 50 billion CFU/g, or 50 million CFU/g to 30 billion CFU/g, or 100 million CFU/g to 20 billion CFU/g, or 200 million CFU/g to 10 billion CFU/g, or 400 million CFU/g to 5 billion CFU/g, or 500 million CFU/g to 1 billion CFU/g. Optionally, the composition comprises a concentration of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU/ml to 200 billion CFU/ml, or 10 million CFU/ml to 100 billion CFU/ml, or 20 million CFU/ml to 50 billion CFU/ml, or 50 million CFU/ml to 30 billion CFU/ml, or 100 million CFU/ml to 20 billion CFU/ml, or 200 million CFU/ml to 10 billion CFU/ml, or 400 million CFU/ml to 5 billion CFU/ml, or 500 million CFU/ml to 1 billion CFU/ml. Optionally, the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the bacteria selected from L. acidophilus is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099 is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus; wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus; wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises a bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099; and wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099; and wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises 1 mg to 50 g of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises a mass of the bacteria in the range: 1 mg to 50 g, or 2 mg to 25 g, or 5 mg to 15 g, or 10 mg to 10 g, or 20 mg to 5 g, or 50 mg to 2.5 g, or 100 mg to 1.25 g, or 200 mg to 1.0 g, or 500 mg to 0.75 g. Optionally, the composition comprises a mass of the bacteria in the range: 250 mg to 750 mg, or 400 mg to 600 mg. Preferably, the composition comprises about 500 mg of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition further comprises one or more carriers, excipients, additives, flavours, and or nutritional additives. Optionally, the probiotic composition further comprises one or more carriers, excipients, additives, flavours, and or nutritional additives. Optionally, the invention relates to a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product comprising the composition of the present invention. Optionally, the invention relates to a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product comprising the probiotic composition of the present invention. Optionally, the composition is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. Optionally, the probiotic composition is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. Optionally, the invention relates to a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage comprising the composition of the present invention. Optionally, the invention relates to a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage comprising the probiotic composition of the present invention. Optionally, the composition is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. Optionally, the probiotic composition is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. Optionally, the composition comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. A second aspect of the present invention relates to the composition for use as a medicament. In other words, the second aspect of the present invention relates to the composition of the present invention, for use as a medicament. For example, the composition could be a composition comprising a bacteria that is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition. Optionally, the present invention relates to the probiotic composition for use as a medicament. In other words, optionally the present invention relates to the probiotic composition of the present invention, for use as a medicament. For example, the probiotic composition could be a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria that is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing excess body weight. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing excess body fat. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is for use in reducing body fat or body fat percentage. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing pre-clinical obesity, or pre-obesity. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing obesity. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing metabolic syndrome. Optionally, the metabolic syndrome is abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides, and/or low serum high-density lipoprotein. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing oxidative stress. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing excess body weight. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing excess body fat. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is for use in reducing body fat or body fat percentage. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing pre-clinical obesity, or pre-obesity. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing obesity. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating or preventing metabolic syndrome. Optionally, the metabolic syndrome is abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides, and/or low serum high-density lipoprotein. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is for use in treating oxidative stress. Optionally, the use is in a subject. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is for use in a subject. Optionally, the subject is a human or another animal; such as a domesticated animal, such as livestock or a pet. Optionally, the livestock is selected from the group comprising cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, and chicken. Optionally, the pet is selected from the group comprising cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. Optionally, the subject is C. elegans. Optionally the subject is selected from the group comprising: human, cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, chicken, cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is for use in a subject selected from the group comprising: human, cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, chicken, cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is for use in a subject. Optionally the subject is selected from the group comprising: human, cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, chicken, cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is for use in a subject selected from the group comprising: human, cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, chicken, cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. Optionally the composition for use as a medicament is for administration to the subject at a dose in the range of 1 mg/day to 50 g/day, or 2 mg/day to 25 g/day, or 5 mg/day to 15 g/day, or 10 mg/day to 10 g/day, or 20 mg/day to 5 g/day, or 50 mg/day to 2.5 g/day, or 100 mg/day to 1.25 g/day, or 200 mg/day to 1.0 g/day, or 500 mg/day to 0.75 g/day. The composition for use as a medicament may comprise a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is a probiotic composition. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Put another way, optionally the bacteria is L. acidophilus CNCM I-4099. Put another way, optionally the bacteria is L. acidophilus CL1285. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is a probiotic composition comprising a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a culture of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a culture of L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a culture of a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a probiotic composition comprising a culture of the bacteria; optionally a culture of L. acidophilus; optionally a culture of a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the bacteria is alive. Optionally, the bacteria selected from L. acidophilus is alive. Optionally, the strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099 is alive. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a live bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a probiotic composition comprising a live bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a live bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a probiotic composition comprising a live bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises an amount of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU to 200 billion CFU, or 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU, or 20 million CFU to 50 billion CFU, or 50 million CFU to 30 billion CFU, or 100 million CFU to 20 billion CFU, or 200 million CFU to 10 billion CFU, or 400 million CFU to 5 billion CFU, or 500 million CFU to 1 billion CFU. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a concentration of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU/g to 200 billion CFU/g, or 10 million CFU/g to 100 billion CFU/g, or 20 million CFU/g to 50 billion CFU/g, or 50 million CFU/g to 30 billion CFU/g, or 100 million CFU/g to 20 billion CFU/g, or 200 million CFU/g to 10 billion CFU/g, or 400 million CFU/g to 5 billion CFU/g, or 500 million CFU/g to 1 billion CFU/g. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a concentration of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU/ml to 200 billion CFU/ml, or 10 million CFU/ml to 100 billion CFU/ml, or 20 million CFU/ml to 50 billion CFU/ml, or 50 million CFU/ml to 30 billion CFU/ml, or 100 million CFU/ml to 20 billion CFU/ml, or 200 million CFU/ml to 10 billion CFU/ml, or 400 million CFU/ml to 5 billion CFU/ml, or 500 million CFU/ml to 1 billion CFU/ml. Optionally, the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the bacteria selected from L. acidophilus is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099 is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus; wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus; wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099; and wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099; and wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises 1 mg to 50 g of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a mass of the bacteria in the range: 1 mg to 50 g, or 2 mg to 25 g, or 5 mg to 15 g, or 10 mg to 10 g, or 20 mg to 5 g, or 50 mg to 2.5 g, or 100 mg to 1.25 g, or 200 mg to 1.0 g, or 500 mg to 0.75 g. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a mass of the bacteria in the range: 250 mg to 750 mg, or 400 mg to 600 mg. Preferably, the composition for use as a medicament comprises about 500 mg of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament further comprises one or more carriers, excipients, additives, flavours, and or nutritional additives. Optionally, the probiotic composition further comprises one or more carriers, excipients, additives, flavours, and or nutritional additives. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. Optionally, the composition for use as a medicament comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. Optionally, the probiotic composition for use as a medicament comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. A third aspect of the present invention relates to a method for treating or preventing excess body weight, excess body fat, pre-clinical obesity, pre-obesity, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and/or oxidative stress; wherein the method comprises administering the composition of the present invention to a subject. For example, the composition could be a composition comprising a bacteria that is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition. Optionally, the method comprises administering a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of the composition or probiotic composition. Optionally, the present invention relates to a method for treating or preventing excess body weight, excess body fat, pre-clinical obesity, pre-obesity, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and/or oxidative stress; wherein the method comprises administering the probiotic composition of the present invention to a subject. For example, the probiotic composition could be a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria that is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the method comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of the probiotic composition. Optionally, the method is for reducing body fat or body fat percentage. Optionally, the obesity is severe obesity. Optionally, the obesity is morbid obesity. Optionally, the obesity is super obesity. Optionally, the metabolic syndrome is abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides, and/or low serum high-density lipoprotein. Optionally, the subject is a human or another animal; such as a domesticated animal, such as livestock or a pet. Optionally, the livestock is selected from the group comprising cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, and chicken. Optionally, the pet is selected from the group comprising cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. Optionally, the subject is C. elegans. Optionally the subject is selected from the group comprising: human, cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, chicken, cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. Optionally, the method for treating or preventing excess body weight, excess body fat, pre-clinical obesity, pre-obesity, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and/or oxidative stress is for use in a subject selected from the group comprising: human, cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, chicken, cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. Optionally the method comprises administering the composition to the subject at a dose in the range of 1 mg/day to 50 g/day, or 2 mg/day to 25 g/day, or 5 mg/day to 15 g/day, or 10 mg/day to 10 g/day, or 20 mg/day to 5 g/day, or 50 mg/day to 2.5 g/day, or 100 mg/day to 1.25 g/day, or 200 mg/day to 1.0 g/day, or 500 mg/day to 0.75 g/day. The composition may comprise a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Put another way, optionally the bacteria is L. acidophilus CNCM I-4099. Put another way, optionally the bacteria is L. acidophilus CL1285. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of the bacteria. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of L. acidophilus. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the bacteria is alive. Optionally, the bacteria selected from L. acidophilus is alive. Optionally, the strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099 is alive. Optionally, the composition comprises a live bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a live bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition comprises a live bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a live bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition comprises 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises an amount of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU to 200 billion CFU, or 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU, or 20 million CFU to 50 billion CFU, or 50 million CFU to 30 billion CFU, or 100 million CFU to 20 billion CFU, or 200 million CFU to 10 billion CFU, or 400 million CFU to 5 billion CFU, or 500 million CFU to 1 billion CFU. Optionally, the composition comprises a concentration of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU/g to 200 billion CFU/g, or 10 million CFU/g to 100 billion CFU/g, or 20 million CFU/g to 50 billion CFU/g, or 50 million CFU/g to 30 billion CFU/g, or 100 million CFU/g to 20 billion CFU/g, or 200 million CFU/g to 10 billion CFU/g, or 400 million CFU/g to 5 billion CFU/g, or 500 million CFU/g to 1 billion CFU/g. Optionally, the composition comprises a concentration of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU/ml to 200 billion CFU/ml, or 10 million CFU/ml to 100 billion CFU/ml, or 20 million CFU/ml to 50 billion CFU/ml, or 50 million CFU/ml to 30 billion CFU/ml, or 100 million CFU/ml to 20 billion CFU/ml, or 200 million CFU/ml to 10 billion CFU/ml, or 400 million CFU/ml to 5 billion CFU/ml, or 500 million CFU/ml to 1 billion CFU/ml. Optionally, the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the bacteria selected from L. acidophilus is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099 is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus; wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus; wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises a bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099; and wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099; and wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises 1 mg to 50 g of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises a mass of the bacteria in the range: 1 mg to 50 g, or 2 mg to 25 g, or 5 mg to 15 g, or 10 mg to 10 g, or 20 mg to 5 g, or 50 mg to 2.5 g, or 100 mg to 1.25 g, or 200 mg to 1.0 g, or 500 mg to 0.75 g. Optionally, the composition comprises a mass of the bacteria in the range: 250 mg to 750 mg, or 400 mg to 600 mg. Preferably, the composition comprises about 500 mg of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition further comprises one or more carriers, excipients, additives, flavours, and or nutritional additives. Optionally, the probiotic composition further comprises one or more carriers, excipients, additives, flavours, and or nutritional additives. Optionally, the composition is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. Optionally, the probiotic composition is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. Optionally, the composition is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. Optionally, the probiotic composition is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. Optionally, the composition comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. A further aspect of the present invention relates to use of a composition in the manufacture of a medicament for treating or preventing excess body weight, excess body fat, pre-clinical obesity, pre- obesity, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and/or oxidative stress; wherein the composition is the composition of the present invention. For example, the composition could be a composition comprising a bacteria that is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition. Optionally, the present invention relates to use of a composition in the manufacture of a medicament for treating or preventing excess body weight, excess body fat, pre-clinical obesity, pre-obesity, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and/or oxidative stress; wherein the composition is the probiotic composition of the present invention. For example, the probiotic composition could be a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria that is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the method is for reducing body fat or body fat percentage. Optionally, the obesity is severe obesity. Optionally, the obesity is morbid obesity. Optionally, the obesity is super obesity. Optionally, the metabolic syndrome is abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides, and/or low serum high-density lipoprotein. The composition may comprise a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Put another way, optionally the bacteria is L. acidophilus CNCM I-4099. Put another way, optionally the bacteria is L. acidophilus CL1285. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of the bacteria. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of L. acidophilus. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the bacteria is alive. Optionally, the bacteria selected from L. acidophilus is alive. Optionally, the strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099 is alive. Optionally, the composition comprises a live bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a live bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition comprises a live bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a live bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition comprises 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises an amount of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU to 200 billion CFU, or 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU, or 20 million CFU to 50 billion CFU, or 50 million CFU to 30 billion CFU, or 100 million CFU to 20 billion CFU, or 200 million CFU to 10 billion CFU, or 400 million CFU to 5 billion CFU, or 500 million CFU to 1 billion CFU. Optionally, the composition comprises a concentration of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU/g to 200 billion CFU/g, or 10 million CFU/g to 100 billion CFU/g, or 20 million CFU/g to 50 billion CFU/g, or 50 million CFU/g to 30 billion CFU/g, or 100 million CFU/g to 20 billion CFU/g, or 200 million CFU/g to 10 billion CFU/g, or 400 million CFU/g to 5 billion CFU/g, or 500 million CFU/g to 1 billion CFU/g. Optionally, the composition comprises a concentration of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU/ml to 200 billion CFU/ml, or 10 million CFU/ml to 100 billion CFU/ml, or 20 million CFU/ml to 50 billion CFU/ml, or 50 million CFU/ml to 30 billion CFU/ml, or 100 million CFU/ml to 20 billion CFU/ml, or 200 million CFU/ml to 10 billion CFU/ml, or 400 million CFU/ml to 5 billion CFU/ml, or 500 million CFU/ml to 1 billion CFU/ml. Optionally, the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the bacteria selected from L. acidophilus is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099 is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus; wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus; wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises a bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099; and wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099; and wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises 1 mg to 50 g of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises a mass of the bacteria in the range: 1 mg to 50 g, or 2 mg to 25 g, or 5 mg to 15 g, or 10 mg to 10 g, or 20 mg to 5 g, or 50 mg to 2.5 g, or 100 mg to 1.25 g, or 200 mg to 1.0 g, or 500 mg to 0.75 g. Optionally, the composition comprises a mass of the bacteria in the range: 250 mg to 750 mg, or 400 mg to 600 mg. Preferably, the composition comprises about 500 mg of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition further comprises one or more carriers, excipients, additives, flavours, and or nutritional additives. Optionally, the probiotic composition further comprises one or more carriers, excipients, additives, flavours, and or nutritional additives. Optionally, the composition is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. Optionally, the probiotic composition is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. Optionally, the composition is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. Optionally, the probiotic composition is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. Optionally, the composition comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. A further aspect of the present invention relates to a non-therapeutic method of body weight management in a subject, comprising administering to the subject the composition. In other words, a non-therapeutic method of body weight management in a subject, comprising administering to the subject the composition of the present invention. For example, the composition could be a composition comprising a bacteria that is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition. Optionally, the present invention relates to a non-therapeutic method of body weight management in a subject, comprising administering to the subject the probiotic composition. In other words, a non- therapeutic method of body weight management in a subject, comprising administering to the subject the probiotic composition of the present invention. For example, the probiotic composition could be a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria that is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the non-therapeutic method is for: reducing body weight, reducing body fat, reducing body weight gain, reducing body fat gain, preventing body weight gain, and/or preventing body fat gain. Optionally, the non-therapeutic method is for a purpose selected from the group comprising: reducing body weight, reducing body fat, reducing body weight gain, reducing body fat gain, preventing body weight gain, preventing body fat gain, and combinations thereof. Optionally, the subject is a human or another animal; such as a domesticated animal, such as livestock or a pet. Optionally, the livestock is selected from the group comprising cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, and chicken. Optionally, the pet is selected from the group comprising cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. Optionally, the subject is C. elegans. Optionally the subject is selected from the group comprising: human, cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, chicken, cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. Optionally, the non-therapeutic method is a cosmetic method. Optionally, the present invention relates to a cosmetic method of body weight management in a subject, comprising administering to the subject the composition of the present invention. Optionally, the present invention relates to a cosmetic method of body weight management in a subject, comprising administering to the subject the probiotic composition of the present invention. Optionally the method comprises administering the composition to the subject at a dose in the range of 1 mg/day to 50 g/day, or 2 mg/day to 25 g/day, or 5 mg/day to 15 g/day, or 10 mg/day to 10 g/day, or 20 mg/day to 5 g/day, or 50 mg/day to 2.5 g/day, or 100 mg/day to 1.25 g/day, or 200 mg/day to 1.0 g/day, or 500 mg/day to 0.75 g/day. The composition may comprise a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition. Optionally, the composition is a probiotic composition comprising a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Put another way, optionally the bacteria is L. acidophilus CNCM I-4099. Put another way, optionally the bacteria is L. acidophilus CL1285. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition comprises a culture of a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of the bacteria. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of L. acidophilus. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a culture of a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the bacteria is alive. Optionally, the bacteria selected from L. acidophilus is alive. Optionally, the strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099 is alive. Optionally, the composition comprises a live bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a live bacteria selected from L. acidophilus. Optionally, the composition comprises a live bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a live bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099. Optionally, the composition comprises 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises an amount of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU to 200 billion CFU, or 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU, or 20 million CFU to 50 billion CFU, or 50 million CFU to 30 billion CFU, or 100 million CFU to 20 billion CFU, or 200 million CFU to 10 billion CFU, or 400 million CFU to 5 billion CFU, or 500 million CFU to 1 billion CFU. Optionally, the composition comprises a concentration of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU/g to 200 billion CFU/g, or 10 million CFU/g to 100 billion CFU/g, or 20 million CFU/g to 50 billion CFU/g, or 50 million CFU/g to 30 billion CFU/g, or 100 million CFU/g to 20 billion CFU/g, or 200 million CFU/g to 10 billion CFU/g, or 400 million CFU/g to 5 billion CFU/g, or 500 million CFU/g to 1 billion CFU/g. Optionally, the composition comprises a concentration of the bacteria in the range: 5 million CFU/ml to 200 billion CFU/ml, or 10 million CFU/ml to 100 billion CFU/ml, or 20 million CFU/ml to 50 billion CFU/ml, or 50 million CFU/ml to 30 billion CFU/ml, or 100 million CFU/ml to 20 billion CFU/ml, or 200 million CFU/ml to 10 billion CFU/ml, or 400 million CFU/ml to 5 billion CFU/ml, or 500 million CFU/ml to 1 billion CFU/ml. Optionally, the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the bacteria selected from L. acidophilus is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099 is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus; wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a bacteria selected from L. acidophilus; wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises a bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099; and wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a bacteria, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the CNCM under accession number CNCM I-4099; and wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. Optionally, the composition comprises 1 mg to 50 g of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition comprises a mass of the bacteria in the range: 1 mg to 50 g, or 2 mg to 25 g, or 5 mg to 15 g, or 10 mg to 10 g, or 20 mg to 5 g, or 50 mg to 2.5 g, or 100 mg to 1.25 g, or 200 mg to 1.0 g, or 500 mg to 0.75 g. Optionally, the composition comprises a mass of the bacteria in the range: 250 mg to 750 mg, or 400 mg to 600 mg. Preferably, the composition comprises about 500 mg of the bacteria. Optionally, the composition further comprises one or more carriers, excipients, additives, flavours, and or nutritional additives. Optionally, the probiotic composition further comprises one or more carriers, excipients, additives, flavours, and or nutritional additives. Optionally, the composition is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. Optionally, the probiotic composition is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. Optionally, the composition is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. Optionally, the probiotic composition is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. Optionally, the composition comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. Optionally, the probiotic composition comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 illustrates the Beneficial effect of probiotic bacteria on C. elegans health. Specifically, Fig.1a. illustrates Oil Red O visualisation of representative N2 worms fed 3 days with various bacteria (respectively; OP50, LBC80R, CL1285, or CLR2) after reaching adult stage. Fig 1b. illustrates Oil Red O density estimation using Image J quantification of 10 representative Oil Red O stained worms. *** p<0.01; t-test relative to OP50 fed worms. Fig.1 c. illustrates fluorescence measurement of Nile Red stained worms (around 180 worms, in triplicate) after 3 days on various source food (respectively; OP50, OP50 + orlistat, LBC80R, CL1285, or CLR2). Orlistat was used as a control of lipid accumulation inhibitor. *** p<0.01; ** p<0.05; t-test relative to the control OP50. Fig.1d. illustrates H₂O₂ survival assay on worms fed 3 days on different food (respectively; OP50, LBC80R, CL1285, or CLR2) after adult stage and 6 hours on H2O2 (1.5, 3 and 5 mM). CTL refers to control worms fed OP50 and that did not receive any H2O2. *** p<0.01; ** p<0.05; one way-ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD test relative to OP50 control. Fig.1e. illustrates survival curve of N2 worms on various bacterial expositions (respectively; OP50, LBC80R, CL1285, or CLR2) after adult stage. Figure 2 shows that glucose limits the benefits of CL1285 on fat accumulation and lifespan. Specifically; Fig.2a. illustrates fluorescence measurement of Nile Red stained worms (around 180 worms, in triplicate) after 3 days on various source food (respectively; OP50, orlistat, LBC80R, CL1285, or CLR2) with or without 2% glucose addition in the NGM media. Orlistat was used as a control of lipid accumulation inhibitor. *** p<0.05; one way-ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD test relative to each OP50 control. Fig.2b. illustrates survival curve of N2 worms on various bacterial expositions (respectively; OP50, OP50 with 2% glucose, CL1285, or CL1285 with 2% glucose) after adult stage. Log-rank test analysis with Bonferonni was done using a software analysis tool such as OASIS2 online software. p-value *** p<0.01 is indicated; N.S: not significant. Figure 3 shows a mechanistic study of probiotic beneficial effect using C. elegans mutant strains. Specifically, Fig 3a. illustrates Oil Red O visualization of representative N2, pmk-1 mutant, daf-16 mutant, and daf-2 mutant worms fed 3 days with various bacteria (respectively; OP50, or CL1285) after reaching adult stage. Fig.3b. illustrates fluorescence measurement of Nile Red stained worms (around 180 worms, in triplicate) after 3 days on various source food (respectively; OP50, or CL1285). Results for N2, daf-16 mutant, daf-2 mutant, and pmk-1 mutant worms are shown. *** p<0.01; one way-ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD test relative to OP50 control for each mutant strain. Fig.3 c. illustrates the survival curve of N2 and daf-16 mutant worms on various bacterial expositions (respectively; OP50, or CL1285) after adult stage. *** p<0.01 is indicated. Fig.3d. Fig.3d. illustrates the survival curve of N2 and pmk-1 mutant worms on various bacterial expositions (respectively; OP50, or CL1285) after adult stage. *** p<0.01 is indicated. Figure 4 shows a mechanistic study of probiotic beneficial effect using C. elegans mutant strains. Specifically, L. acidophilus CL1285 strain Fig.4a. illustrates survival curve of N2 worms on various bacterial expositions (respectively; OP50, CL1285, NCFM, ATC 314, or BP 4981) after adult stage. Fig.4b illustrates fluorescence measurement of Nile Red stained worms *** p<0.001 relative to OP50 control. The results for NCFM and ATCC 314 were not significantly different (p=0.001) to OP50 control. Detailed description of the invention Before the present compositions, methods, and methodologies are described in more detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to particular compositions, methods, and experimental conditions described, as such compositions, methods, and conditions may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for purposes of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since scope will be limited only in the appended claims. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which this specification belongs. Any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may be used in the practice or testing of the invention. Any range will be understood to encompass and be a disclosure of each discrete point and subrange within the range. Stated differently, the ranges in the present specification are equivalent to a subset of the unwieldy and lengthy description of every possible combination of these discrete values, presented in an easily understood shorthand format (i.e., a range). The upper or lower value of any numerical range may also be replaced with the upper or lower value of another numerical range, respectively. The upper and lower value of a numerical range may also be replaced with the upper and lower value described in the Examples below. As used herein, "about," and "approximately," will be understood by a person skilled in the art and will vary in some extent depending on the context in which they are used. If there are uses of the term which are not clear to the skilled person given the context, "about" and "approximately" will mean plus or minus ≤10% of the particular value (i.e. plus or minus 10%, or plus or minus up to 10% of the particular value). "Comprising," "consisting essentially of," and "consisting of" have their customary meanings. As used herein, w/w refers to weight per weight. As used herein, w/v refers to weight per volume. As used herein, CFU refers to colony-forming unit. As used herein, CFU/g refers to CFU per gram. As used herein, CFU/ml refers to CFU per millilitre. In a human subject; pre-obesity can be defined by a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9 kg/m², obesity can be defined by a BMI over 30 kg/m². Customary abbreviations of binomial names are used herein. For example, L. acidophilus refers to Lactobacillus acidophilus; L. rhamnosus refers to Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, L. casei refers to Lacticaseibacillus casei, C. elegans refers to Caenorhabditis elegans, C. difficile refers to Clostridioides difficile, E. coli refers to Escherichia coli. As used herein, “Lactobacillus acidophilus CL1285”, “L. acidophilus CL1285”, and “CL1285”, are used synonymously to refer to the bacterial strain deposited under accession number CNCM I-4099. As used herein, “Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CLR2”, “L. rhamnosus CLR2”, “CLR2”, “Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CLR-2”, “L. rhamnosus CLR-2”, and “CLR-2”, are used synonymously. As used herein, “Lacticaseibacillus casei LBC80R”, “L. casei LBC80R”, and “LBC80R”, are used synonymously. As used herein, “Lactobacillus acidophilus strain NCFM”, “Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM”, “L. acidophilus NCFM”, “L. acidophilus strain NCFM”, and “NCFM”, are used synonymously. As used herein, “Lactobacillus acidophilus strain ATCC 314”, “Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 314”, “L. acidophilus ATCC 314”, and “ATCC 314”, are used synonymously. As used herein, “Lactobacillus acidophilus strain BP4981”, “Lactobacillus acidophilus BP4981”, “L. acidophilus BP4981”, and “BP4981”, are used synonymously. As used herein, “OP50”, “Escherichia coli OP50”, and “E. coli OP50” are used synonymously to refer to Escherichia coli strain OP50. Examples MATERIALS AND METHODS Summary Synchronized C. elegans young adults were fed with different lactobacilli strains L. acidophilus CL1285, L. casei LBC80R, L. rhamnosus CLR2, or Escherichia coli OP50 control at 20°C. Then, 3 different groups of experiments were done: ^ after 3 days of feeding, worms were collected and stained to visualize fat content, fat distribution and Nile Red to measure fat ^ C. elegans lifespan on various bacterial sources was evaluated by frequent death scoring and transfer of live worms to new plates ^ after 3 days of feeding, oxidative stress resistance was tested using H2O2 as an oxidative agent. Bacteria/Probiotics strains L. acidophilus CL1285, L. casei LBC80R, L. rhamnosus CLR2 were originally isolated from fecal samples. L. acidophilus strains NCFM, BP4981 and ATCC 314 were purchased from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, USA), the Belgian Coordinated Collections of Microorganisms (BCCM/LMG, Belgium) and the Patent and Bio-Resource Centre (Chiba, Japan). Bacteria were stored at -80°C and thawed at room temperature before use. Before each experiment, bacteria were streaked on de Man, Rogosa, Sharpe (MRS) agar plates (EMDMillipore, Oakville, ON, Canada) to verify the purity. All bacteria were grown in MRS broth (EMDMillipore, Oakville, ON, Canada) under an anaerobic atmosphere using an anaerobic container (such as BD anaerobic container from BD, Mississauga, ON, Canada) and anaerobic disposable sachets (such as BD GasPak EZ from BD, Mississauga, ON, Canada). After 3 days, the cultures were centrifuged and washed 3 times with M9 buffer (3 g KH2PO4, 6 g Na2HPO4, 5 g NaCl, 1 mL of 1 molar MgSO4, dissolved in 1 litre H2O, then autoclaved for 20 minutes at 120°C; Powder from Fischer Scientific, Ottawa, ON, Canada). The pellet was then resuspended in M9 buffer at a concentration of 10 mg/ml, and 0.1 mL was seeded on an MRS agar plate. E. coli strain OP50 (Carolina, Burlington, NC, USA) was grown in Luria-Bertani (LB) media (Fisher, Fair Lawn, NJ, USA) and cultured overnight under aerobic conditions with shaking at 220 rpm at 37°C in a shaker incubator such an Orbital Shaker incubator (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). The cultures were centrifuged and washed 3 times with M9 buffer; the pellet was then resuspended in M9 buffer at a concentration of 10 mg/mL, and 0.1 mL was seeded on an LB agar plate. C. elegans strains The pmk-1 (km25) IV, daf-2 (e1370) III, and daf-16 (mgDf50) I strains of C. elegans were obtained from the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center at the University of Minnesota (CGC, Minneapolis, MN, USA). The N2 strain of C. elegans was kindly provided by Dr Martin J. Simard from Laval University, Cancer Research Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Fat accumulation analysis

Oil Red O staining Oil Red O staining protocol followed the procedure described by Wählaby et al., 2014. In brief, 3 day old synchronized worms fed with OP50, probiotics, or OP50 with lipase inhibitor orlistat (Sigma- Aldrich, Saint-Louis, MO, USA) were fixed in an isopropanol solution and stained immediately for 18 hours in Oil Red O solution (Sigma-Aldrich, Saint-Louis, MO, USA). After stain solution removal, the worms were kept in M9 buffer additionally comprising 0.01% non-ionic surfactant (such as Triton X-100 from Sigma-Aldrich, Saint-Louis, MO, USA) until microscopic observation and image capture at 10X magnification using a microscope (such as LMC-4000 or SeBaCam 10C, both from Laxco Inc., Mill Creek, WA, USA). Oil Red O intensity was estimated using image processing and analysis software such as Image J software version 1.54i (available online at: https://imagej.net/ij/) (NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA). Nile Red staining The Nile Red staining protocol was performed according to the assays described previously in Grompone G et al., 2012. Synchronized nematodes were cultured until the young adult stage and then transferred to plates containing various types of food and Nile Red (Sigma-Aldrich Saint-Louis, MO, USA) at a concentration of 0.05 µg/mL. Three-day-old worms fed OP50, probiotics, or OP50 with a lipase inhibitor orlistat (Sigma-Aldrich, Saint-Louis, MO, USA) were tested. After 3 days, the nematodes were collected, washed and maintained in M9, and fluorescence intensity was measured using a fluorometer (such as Discovery, from Promega, Madison, WI, USA) with λ excitation at 480 nm and λ emission at 571 nm. Lifespan Analysis The lifespan of C. elegans was measured at 20°C using synchronized worms of wild-type strain (N2), and mutant strains daf-16 (GR1307), daf-2 (CB1370), pmk-1 (KU25). Worms were grown on E. coli OP50 until they reached adult stage, then transferred to a plate seeded with probiotic food or OP50. Plates were scored (that is, counted and evaluated (alive/dead)), and surviving worms transferred to a fresh plate with the same food every 2 days until the end of the experiment. For some experiments, 2% of the final glucose concentration was added to a Nematode Growth Media (NGM) standard plate and dried for 24 h under a sterile hood. No 5-Fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine or other antibiotics were used. Statistical analysis was performed using statistical analysis software, such as OASIS2 (https://sbi.postech.ac.kr/oasis2) following the procedure described in the original paper Han, S.K., et al. (2016). Oxidative stress assay After bleaching and eggs hatching (stage L1), synchronized worms were fed with OP50 until they reached adult stage. Nematodes were then collected, washed and transferred on plate with probiotics or OP50. After 3 days, in 96-well plates (5-7 worm per well), the worms were incubated at 20°C for 6 hours. H2O2 solutions (1.5 mM, 3 mM and 5 mM) were prepared in distilled water and applied to the worms. Under an optic microscope such as SMZ-140 (Motic Instruments, Richmond, VA, Canada), the worms were observed and scored for lethality after 6 hours of treatment. RESULTS L. acidophilus CL1285 reduces fat content and displays multiple beneficial effects in C. elegans model In order to assess if probiotic feeding influences fat accumulation in a worm model, two methods were used, a fixative-based stain (Oil Red O) and a live stain (Nile Red); these two common lipid stains have been used to evaluate lipid distribution in various tissues and models. Oil Red O staining allows for visualization of fat content by microscopy and calculation of fat mass score using image J (Wählby, C., et al., 2014) in a low throughput manner. In contrast, Nile Red staining enables fluorescence measurement of fat deposition in one hundred worms, under native conditions, independent of the image capture, and controlled with orlistat, an hypolipidemic drug. Synchronized worms at the adult stage were grown on NGM plates, seeded with fresh culture of either OP50 (control), L. acidophilus CL1285, L. casei LBC80R, or L. rhamnosus CLR 2 at 20°C and were then observed under a microscope. No morphological difference between conditions was noticed until after 3 days of food exposure, except that worms fed with CL1285 appeared thinner compared to worms fed with other probiotics or the control group. Oil Red O staining using the isopropanol fixation method to evaluate fat accumulation and distribution revealed no difference when comparing OP50 administration to L. casei LBC80R and L. rhamnosus administration, but the staining in L. acidophilus CL1285-fed worms appeared weaker (fig.1a). Using Image J, measurement of 10 representative worms displayed a statistically significant difference between worms fed OP50 compared to CL1285, with approximatively 50 % reduction of intensity (fig.1b). Oil Red O staining intensity in LBC80R- and CLR2-fed worms was similar to the OP50 control. In parallel, Nile red staining followed by fluorescent measurement, after 3 days of adulthood, showed differences compared with Oil Red O staining (fig.1b and c). Clearly, LBC80R consumption increased the fluorescence signal meaning an increase of fatty acids, while CLR2 consumption resulted in a weaker signal compared to OP50 and orlistat control worms. However, CL1285-fed worms retained a significant decline in fluoresence, similar to the results of previous fixative staining (fig.1a and 1b). These observations by Oil Red O staining and Nile red staining methods strongly confirmed that CL1285 could attenuate fat deposition in C. elegans. Afterwards, the probiotics were evaluated for their ability to protect against oxidative stress. H₂O₂ was selected to trigger stress because of its safety, rapidity and ease of use. At 3 days of adulthood, worms fed with OP50 or probiotics were treated for 6 hours with 1.5, 3 or 5 mM H2O2 solution, and viability was scored at the end of the treatment. In all concentrations used, probiotic presence partially protected the nematodes against H2O2 exposure and the results were dose-dependent (fig.1d). Exposure to concentrations of 1.5 mM and 3 mM H₂O₂ were more discriminating for evaluating the protection from oxidative stress, while 5 mM H₂O₂ was too deleterious. However, CLR2 was the probiotic candidate that offered the best protection at all H2O2 concentrations used. An overall resistance to H2O2 was observed for probiotics-fed worms in all tested conditions compared to OP50 fed worms. In fact, CLR-2 displayed the most protective effect while LBC80R offered limited protection and CL1285 had an intermediate protective effect (fig.1d). With these interesting data regarding fat accumulation and partial resistance to oxidative stress, it is indicated that CL1285 and/or CLR2 could extend worm lifespan, as other probiotics with one of these features have been described to increase longevity. To evaluate worm lifespan, the mortality rate of worms exposed to various probiotics once they reached adult stage was scored. CL1285 clearly promoted longevity in these conditions (fig1e) and extended the mean lifespan by approximatively 3 days (fig.1f), while worms fed the CLR-2 strain, that bestowed the strongest oxidative resistance to H₂O₂ and a reduced fat content, did not have a prolonged lifespan. Although LBC80R was less protective against oxidative stress compared to the other probiotics strains and was observed to have a fattening effect in one of the two methods used, no long-term deleterious effect on lifespan was noted for worms fed LBC80R. The combination of these results proves that CL1285 is of interest in the context of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Table 1: Effect of feeding a different probiotic or bacteria on the mean lifespan of C. elegans worms Probiotic Number of Mean lifespan Log-rank test Percentage or bacteria worms (days) ± SEM p-value * change (%) ^† OP50 82 13.15 ± 0.51 − − LBC80R 76 13.18 ± 0.52 1 0.23 CL1285 78 16.21 ± 0.68 0.0005 18.88 CLR2 83 13.07 ± 0.60 1 −0.61 * Log-rank test p-values are Bonferroni-corrected, analysis was done using OASIS2 online software although any suitable statistical analysis software could be used. ^† Percentage change is compared to the OP50 control. Three independent experiments were performed. L. acidophilus CL1285 limits fat reduction and increases lifespan via a glucose/daf-16 dependant pathway The addition of glucose is known to reduce lifespan and to increase fat content in C. elegans; therefore, this condition could be considered similar to obesity and metabolic syndrome in humans. In order to estimate the capacity of CL1285 to counteract the glucose enrichment effect, a fat-reduction test in 2% enriched NGM media was performed using Nile red staining as previously described; CL1285 could still limit fat accumulation under these particular conditions (fig.2a). Although glucose addition triggered an overall increase in fluorescence measured, CL1285-fed worms displayed a fluorescence level comparable to that of the OP50 control worms without glucose and reached the level observed in orlistat-drug-treated worms in glucose-enriched media. LBC80R and CLR2 were unable to limit fat accumulation in glucose enriched-media (fig2a). In this second set of Nile red measurements, LBC80R- and CLR2-treated worms showed significant variability in fluorescence compared to that in the first experiment, with a loss of phenotypes observed in the first experiment (fig.1c) and this variability was repeatedly observed. On the other hand, CL1285 still significantly reduced fat accumulation by approximately 25 %. This reduction was conserved in glucose-enriched media when compared to that of the OP50 control (26%). After these results were obtained, the effect of CL1285 on lifespan enhancement of worms was evaluated over time and compared to the effect of OP50 bacteria in the same conditions (fig.2b). In line with the previous fat accumulation results, glucose administration to CL1285-fed worms limited the lifespan extension to that of OP50-fed worms without glucose addition, but the difference between the OP50 control and CL1285 under glucose-enriched conditions remained significant. An approximate 3-day mean difference in lifespan distinguished the control and CL1285-fed worms in either regular or glucose-enriched media (fig.2c) Table 2: Effect of CL1285 probiotic on the mean lifespan of C. elegans worms in the presence and absence of 2% glucose Probiotic Number of mean lifespan Log-rank test Percentage or bacteria worms (days) ± SEM p-value * change (%) ^† OP50 73 16.07 ± 0.5 - - OP502% glucose 79 12.67 ± 0.48 0.00003 - 21.16 CL1285 82 19.22 ± 0.68 0.00003 19.6 CL12852% glucose 81 15.64 ± 0.54 1 - 2.75 * Log-rank test p-values are Bonferroni-corrected, analysis was done using OASIS2 online software, although any suitable statistical analysis software could be used. ^† Percentage change is compared to the OP50 control. Because glucose could partially counteract the protective effect of CL1285 on lifespan and fat accumulation, it appears that CL1285 interacts with the glucose signaling pathway. To investigate the signalling pathways that CL1285 influences, three mutants were selected: daf-2, daf-16, and pmk-1. The daf-2 mutant CB1370 is an insulin/IGF-1 pathway mutant line without an insulin-like receptor that regulates daf-16 phosphorylation and translocation to the nucleus; the mutant displays fat accumulation and extended lifespan. The daf-16 mutant GR1307, a well-described and well- studied mutant line with a phenotype of reduced lifespan and insensitivity to glucose, lacks the gene encoding the daf-16 forkhead box transcription factor, which is evolutionarily conserved and acts downstream of daf-2 receptor activation. The pmk-1 mutant KU-25 is defective in the p38 homolog PMK-1, which is a terminal MAPK of a stress/immune signaling pathway involved in lifespan extension effects of various probiotics. Interestingly, CL1285 feeding led to a significant fat reduction in the daf-2 and pmk-1 mutant lines compared to OP50 feeding, as shown by Oil Red O staining (fig.3a) and Nile Red staining (fig.3b). Compared to OP50 feeding, CL1285 feeding led to a level of fat reduction in the daf-2 and pmk-1 mutants that was similar to the level of fat reduction in the N2 control, with a decrease of around 40 to 50 percent, as shown by Nile Red fluorescence measurement (fig.3b). Compared to OP50 feeding, CL1285 feeding led to a fat decrease in the daf-16 mutant line that was not significant and was approximately 10 % less than OP50 control; these results showed that the daf-16 gene product is required for CL1285 to affect fat reduction. To confirm that lifespan extension conferred by CL1285 is mediated by daf-16 activity, a lifespan experiment was performed using daf-16, pmk-1 and OP50. The experiment clearly demonstrated no difference in lifespan when comparing OP50 to CL1285 in the daf-16 mutant worms (fig.3c and 3d) and a cancellation of CL1285 life extension capability was observed, i.e. CL1285 feeding did not extend lifespan. In contrast to the daf-16 mutant line, the pmk-1 mutant and N2 control lines showed similar lifespan extension (fig.3c and 3d). daf-2 was partially evaluated, but lifespan measurement was not completed due to the extended lifespan of this strain, partial dauer formation, and developmental delay; however there were no differences between OP50- and CL1285-fed worms in the first 25 days of the experiment. Taken together, these results showed that daf-16 gene product is required for CL1285 fat metabolism and lifespan extension, and these effects depend on the glucose concentration. Table 3: Effect of feeding a different probiotic or bacteria on the mean lifespan of several C. elegans strains C. elegans Probiotic Number of Mean lifespan Log-rank test Percentage Strain or bacteria worms (days) ± SEM p-value * change (%) ^† ^N2 _{OP50 58 14.79 ± 0.6 − −} N² _{CL1285 55 18.96 ± 0.8 0.0001 28.19} d^af-16 _{OP50 69 9.84 ± 0.52 0 −50.3} d^af-16 _{CL1285 76 10.11 ± 0.51 0 −46.3} p^mk-1 _{OP50 84 14.83 ± 0.53 1 −0.3} p^mk-1 _{CL1285 79 18.47 ± 0.64 0.0001 20.03} * Log-rank test p-values are Bonferroni-corrected, analysis was done using OASIS2 online software, although any suitable statistical analysis software could be used. ^† Percentage change is compared to N2 fed OP50. N2 refers to the wild type strain N2. daf-16 refers to the mutant strain GR1307. pmk-1 refers to the mutant strain KU25. With the aim of determining whether the benefits of CL1285 in C. elegans are strain-specific, three commercially available strains were tested in fat reduction and lifespan experiments, and the obtained results were compared to those of CL1285 (fig.4). Nile Red measurements of worms fed the L. acidophilus strains NCFM, ATCC 314 and BP4981 were analyzed and compared to that of worms fed CL1285. First, the Nile Red fluorescence measurements showed an overall reduction in fat accumulation in 3-day-old adult worms fed on NCFM or ATCC 314; however, this reduction was only significant with BP4981 when compared to OP50, which showed 20% less fluorescence. However, the reduction in the fat accumulation of CL1285-fed worms was more efficient with 60% decrease in measured fluorescence intensity, demonstrating that this is a unique property of this strain. Regarding the lifespan, none of the strains tested had the same ability as CL1285 to increase the worm lifespan. Table 4: Effect of feeding a different probiotic or bacteria on the mean lifespan of C. elegans worms Probiotics or Number of mean lifespan Log-rank test Percentage bacteria worms (days) ± SEM p-value * change (%) ^† OP50 76 12.05 ± 0.44 − − CL1285 82 16.09 ± 0.57 1.5 × 10^-7 33.53 NCFM 66 12.26 ± 0.60 1 1.74 ATCC 314 65 12.62 ± 0.54 1 4.73 BP4981 68 12.90 ± 0.55 0.65 7.05 * Log-rank test p-values are Bonferroni-corrected, analysis was done using OASIS2 online software, although any suitable statistical analysis software could be used. ^† Percentage change is compared to the OP50 control. DISCUSSION The inventors have surprisingly found that administering CL1285 as a probiotic induces fat reduction under normal and glucose-enriched conditions, extends lifespan, and protects against oxidative stress. The results demonstrated that the fat reduction and lifespan extension conferred by CL1285 are genetically dependant on the daf-16 gene in the C. elegans model organism. In fact, DAF- 16/FOXO transcription factor integrates signals from many pathways such as insulin/IGF-1, JNK, AMPK, TOR and germline signalling, and can thus be considered a central signal reception platform. A transcriptional study of insulin-signalling associated transcription factors showed that daf-16 plays a central regulatory role and revealed that, although this transcription factor is essentially an activator, it acts at a complex genome-wide level, and is a major determining factor. Longevity, fat storage, dauer formation and stress resistance are among the main mechanisms regulated by daf-16 via the insulin-signalling pathway; our studies showed that CL1285 modulates the first two biological processes described. Although oxidative stress induced by H₂O₂ showed no difference between N2 and mutant lines on CL1285, we cannot draw conclusions about general stress resistance because only ROS were formed by H2O2 induction. This rapid assay did not allow us to determine whether CL1285 protection is mediated by daf-16. Moreover, it’s known that this mutant line displays higher stress resistance because daf-16 at least partially regulates genes involved in stress response. By acting via the daf-16 pathway, in this study we demonstrated that the probiotic CL1285 anchored health benefits to the daf-16 pathway; and this effect is specific to the strain. The present application illustrates the beneficial effect of L. acidophilus CL1285 probiotics on reducing fat accumulation, extending lifespan and protecting against oxidative stress in a C. elegans model organism, and that these properties are specific to CL1285 and are not shared with common commercially available L. acidophilus strains. Furthermore, the daf-16 gene product seems to be needed for the fat and lifespan phenotypes observed, and experiments done under glucose-enriched conditions indicate an application for CL1285 probiotic in the field of metabolic syndromes. For example, administration of CL1285 probiotic for the treatment and/or prevention of a metabolic syndrome. The daf-16 pathway of C. elegans corresponds to the insulin pathway in humans. The results in a C. elegans model organism show that a similar beneficial effect is expected in humans and other animals such as livestock (e.g. cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, and/or chicken) and pets (e.g. cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and/or gerbil). The results indicate that intake of Lactobacillus acidophilus is useful for body weight management, reducing/preventing body weight gain, body weight loss, management of body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing/preventing gain in body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), and mitigation of metabolic syndrome. For example, Lactobacillus acidophilus might be administered to achieve any or all of these effects in humans and other animals such as livestock (e.g. cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, and/or chicken) and pets (e.g. cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and/or gerbil). In particular, intake of L. acidophilus CL1285 is useful for body weight management, reducing/preventing body weight gain, body weight loss, management of body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing/preventing gain in body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), and mitigation of metabolic syndrome. L. acidophilus CL1285 is an effective probiotic for body weight management, reducing/preventing body weight gain, body weight loss, management of body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing/preventing gain in body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing body fat, reducing/preventing body weight gain, body weight loss, management of body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing/preventing gain in body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), and mitigation of metabolic syndrome. In particular, L. acidophilus CL1285 has application in body weight management, reducing/preventing body weight gain, body weight loss, management of body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing/preventing gain in body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), reducing body fat (e.g. body fat percentage), and mitigation of metabolic syndrome in humans and other animals such as livestock (e.g. cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, and/or chicken) and pets (e.g. cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and/or gerbil). CONCLUSIONS L. acidophilus CL1285 shows health benefits in a C. elegans model ^ L. acidophilus CL1285 decreases fat content in adult C. elegans fed from young adult stage, detected by Oil Red O and Nile Red staining. CL1285 feeding decreases lipid droplets density with a more limited physical distribution, and the measured fluorescence was lower in both methods. ^ CL1285 significantly increased C. elegans lifespan compared to other lactobacilli and control. Lifespan extension is conserved in C. elegans high-glucose media but not in other L. acidophilus strains tested. Survival assay under oxidative stress showed CL1285 resulted in mild protection. ^ DAF-16 is required in the mechanism of action of CL1285 in both fat metabolism and lifespan extension. ^ Fat deposition was attenuated in C. elegans nematodes fed with L. acidophilus CL1285 in a DAF16-dependent manner. ^ Fat distribution in the animal was attenuated/limited when fed with L. acidophilus CL1285. ^ Feeding with CLR1285 resulted in protection from hydrogen peroxide-mediated oxidative stress after 6 hours. ^ Feeding CL1285 significantly increased C. elegans lifespan compared to other lactobacilli and control. o The mechanism of lifespan extension was not related to glucose-deprivation based on these experiments. o The ability to extend the lifespan of C. elegans was unique to CL1285 strain of L. acidophilus and not observed for other L. acidophilus strains tested. o CL1285 strain of L. acidophilus extended the lifespan of C. elegans in a DAF16-dependent manner. ^ L. acidophilus CL1285 is an effective probiotic for weight management, prevention of weight gain and mitigation of metabolic syndrome. References Grompone G, Martorell P, Llopis S, González N, Genovés S, Mulet AP, Fernández-Calero T, Tiscornia I, Bollati-Fogolín M, Chambaud I, Foligné B, Montserrat A, Ramón D. Anti-inflammatory Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-3690 strain protects against oxidative stress and increases lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS One.2012;7(12):e52493. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052493. Epub 2012 Dec 26. PMID: 23300685; PMCID: PMC3530454. Han, S.K., Lee, D., Lee, H., Kim, D., Son, H.G., Yang, J.S., Lee, S.J.V., Kim, S. OASIS 2: online application for survival analysis 2 with features for the analysis of maximal lifespan and healthspan in aging research. Oncotarget, 2016.7(35): p.56147-56152. Kwon, G., J. Lee, and Y.H. Lim. Dairy Propionibacterium extends the mean lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans via activation of the innate immune system. Sci Rep, 2016.6: p.31713. Wählby, C.; Conery, A.L.; Bray, M.A.; Kamentsky, L.; Larkins-Ford, J.; Sokolnicki, K.L.; Veneskey, M.; Michaels, K.; Carpenter, A.E.; O’Rourke, E.J. High- and low-throughput scoring of fat mass and body fat distribution in C. elegans. Methods 2014, 68, 492–499.

Claims 1. A probiotic composition comprising a bacteria selected from Lactobacillus acidophilus. 2. The probiotic claim 1, wherein the bacteria is a strain of L. acidophilus deposited at the accession number CNCM I-4099. 3. The probiotic composition of claim 1 or 2, wherein the probiotic composition comprises a culture of the bacteria. 4. The probiotic composition of any preceding claim, wherein the bacteria is alive. 5. The probiotic composition of claim 4, wherein the composition comprises 10 million CFU to 100 billion CFU of the bacteria. 6. The probiotic composition of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bacteria is inactivated, optionally partially inactivated, optionally totally inactivated. 7. The probiotic composition of claim 6, wherein the composition comprises 1 mg to 50 g of the bacteria. 8. The probiotic composition of any preceding claim, wherein the probiotic composition is a dietary supplement, nutraceutical product, nutritional product, food product, beverage product, animal feed, animal beverage, pharmaceutical product, or veterinary product. 9. The probiotic composition of any preceding claim, wherein the probiotic composition is a pill, tablet, capsule, softgel capsule, lozenge, powder, sachet, gummy, chewable tablet, cream, or beverage. 10. The composition of any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the composition comprises a dehydrated powder comprising the bacteria. 11. The probiotic composition of any one of claims 1 to 10 for use as a medicament. 12. The probiotic composition for use according to claim 11, wherein the probiotic composition is for use in treating or preventing excess body weight and/or excess body fat.

Claims

13. The probiotic composition for use according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the probiotic composition is for use in treating or preventing pre-clinical obesity and/or obesity. 14. The probiotic composition for use according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the probiotic composition is for use in treating or preventing metabolic syndrome. 15. The probiotic composition for use according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the composition for use is for use in a subject selected from the group comprising: human, cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, chicken, cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. 16. A non-therapeutic method of body weight management in a subject, comprising administering to the subject the probiotic composition of any one of claims 1 to 10. 17. The non-therapeutic method of claim 16, wherein the method is for: reducing body weight, reducing body fat, reducing body weight gain, reducing body fat gain, preventing body weight gain, and/or preventing body fat gain. 18. The non-therapeutic method of claim 16 or 17, wherein the subject is selected from the group comprising: human, cow, sheep, pig, horse, donkey, goat, chicken, cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig and gerbil. 19. The non-therapeutic method of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the method is a cosmetic method.

Abstract The present invention is in the field of weight management, prevention of weight gain, weight loss, prevention and treatment of metabolic syndromes. The invention relates to compositions for treating or preventing excess body weight, excess body fat, pre-clinical obesity, obesity and/or metabolic syndrome. In particular, the invention relates to probiotic compositions for treating or preventing excess body weight, excess body fat, pre-clinical obesity, obesity and/or metabolic syndrome. Figure 1A is to accompany the abstract.