Bifidus Actiregularis, Bifidus Regularis, Bifidus Digestivum, Bifidobacterium Lactis and its variants are marketing names generated by Danone (known in the United States of America as Dannon) for one of the specific bacteria it uses in its “Activia” range of yoghurt products.
According to a reply received from Dannon by the Writerious blog, Bifidus Regularis (and therefore presumably all the variations of Bifidus…) is a proprietary strain of Bifidobacterium.
The source of “Bifidus” is from the intestinal bacterium Bifidobacterium animalis, a kind of bacteria found in the large intestines of most mammals, including humans. “Actiregularis” is an invented word, the first half of which which emphasises the active nature of the bacteria. In common with with Bifidus Regularis, the “regularis” part emphasises being “regular” and the “is” at the end suggests a scientific derivation. The bacteria is known as Bifidus Actiregularis in UK marketing materials and Bifidus Regularis in marketing materials from the USA.
Bifidus Actiregularis used to be called Bifidus Digestivum in UK marketing materials. “Digestivum” is an invented word which uses “digestive” as a root to suggest beneficial effects on digestion, combined with the latinate ending “um” to suggest a scientific derivation.
It is known as Bifidobacterium Lactis in Canadian marketing materials, where Lactis uses the Latin root for milk (“lac” / “lact-“) and “is” to suggest a scientific derivation.
It is known as “Digestivum Essensis” in German and Austrian marketing materials. These are both invented words, the first emphasising digestion and the second emphasising the “essential” nature of the nutrition, using latinate endings to suggest a scientific derivation.
The name of the bacteria changes from country to country and over time, to reflect differences in marketing strategy and consumer behaviour. One suggestion for the change in the UK from Bifidus Digestivum from Bifidus Actiregularis is that Bifidus Digestivum was so ridiculed it become a liability – do a Google search for Bifidus Digestivum to see the results.
The scientifically correct name for the bacteria is “Bifidobacterium animalis DN 173 010”.
The BBC has recorded an excellent radio programme about gut bacteria, including a discussion of the fundamental uncertainty about the very specific advertised claims for probiotics.
Read more about probiotics, prebiotics, and intestinal flora, Danone’s marketing strategy and what’s in Activia, Danactive and Actimel using the More information menu on the right.
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So when is this bacteria added to yogurt products? How does it survive refrigeration to become active later in the gut? Isn’t yogurt homogenized and pasteurized like other products which is designed to sterilize bacteria? Sounds like a lot of marketing and little science. Advertising is to sell products and so maybe it’s of little matter if you like yogurt and it works for you.
Posted by mark rhodes on 21st October 2011
I must say that I am a very stubborn person when it comes to believing anything I see on commercials. Ever since I started Activia I have a BM every single day. I say this only because before Activia I would go atleast 3 days without a BM and therefore, I had atleast 5 lbs extra on me in weight. I also looked very bloated, almost pregnant I can say because I am not overweight so people use to always ask me if were pregnant and I would be highly offended. But, I knew it was because I couldn’t use the bathroom. Now, the bloating is gone.. I love Activia. I have tried all typed of laxative whether it’s liquid or pills and nothing has worked. I am definitely a satisfied customer…..
Posted by Alexandra Ramos - New York, NY on 17th October 2011
i been eating activia for quite some time now I dont care what they have or dont have or if they bacteria or not i love how my body feels so light when my intestines are empty!! I have lost weight in a combination of a good diet and exercise. Besides I like Jaime Lee Curtis ooooo mamas
Posted by Enter your name here on 17th October 2011
I just bought me some activia cause I had surgery on sept.8th and the meds have caused me to not as u say “go potty” so I hope this will kind of help out w my situation cause I’ve ran out of methods. This is very yummy n I love the flavor it dosnt taste flavorless like some others but I’m gonna eat on activia for the next fee days n il let u guys know if it has helped the digestive system. Thank s for great tasting yogurt dannon keep up the awsome work.
Posted by Shortbutsweet on 21st September 2011
I love eating Activia. 😉 It makes me put pointless winkie smilies in my blog comments. 😉 Activia is the one that ROCKS and not my stools. 😉 Thanks, Danone!
Posted by Marie's Left Boobie on 15th September 2011
Can you eat too much?
Posted by Enter your name here on 14th September 2011
I think Activia is a Godsend! I have been suffering from fecal incontinece and irritable bowel. I always had to take Imodium for the terrible diarrhea that often came after eating salads or ice-cream at restaurants. Now, all I have to do is eat one activia and my diarrhea subsides within hrs. 😉 Thanks Activia!!!!! Keep making better products. 😉 It sure beats taking medicine and is cheaper too!
Posted by Marie on 9th September 2011
Is there anything in this Dannon product that will hurt my kidneys? This information is very critical to me.
Thank You
Posted by William Chase on 25th August 2011
Its a shame they market the yoghurt in this dumbed down scientific manner as it is actually really nice yoghurt, but I am quite embarassed eating it as it suggests I am dumb enough to believe the silly “scientific” sounding marketing – I actually just like the texture and taste of it and dont care about the actireglibifdivisum or whather they call it next – its bad marketing in my opinion, get rid of the stupid names and just say it might have some beneficial bacteria….
Posted by Martin on 25th August 2011
I started taking Activia as an evening bedtime snack, drink a glass of water and it has help my digestion and gut
issues…….When you are over 60 the pipes dont work as good when you were 20 or 30. It may be a great help
in preventing colon cancer.
Posted by Sylvie on 24th August 2011
i have never had a digestive problem, however, once a year i will have constipation and bloating that lasts for about a week. the last time this happened i was visiting my cousin who suggested trying activia. as it did as commercials state, i have stayed on it. one, non-fat yogurt before bed each night. i feel lighter and no longer bloat. today i put on my jeans to go to lunch with the girls, and much to my surprise, have dropped about five pounds! i didn’t have to unbutton my jeans after eating – lol. concidence? maybe – but i’ll keep on with activia til proved differently.
Posted by sherrie norden on 20th August 2011
I’m without question a neo cynicist in all ways of life, especially to the often fantastical claims and ridiculously transparent marketing campagins made by all manner of companies and corporations, but this stuff, and it’s rivals, actually does work. Where the marketing exceeds its acceptable boundaries is in suggesting, or suggesting by not saying otherwise, that it is something that will benefit everybody. Furthermore, the side effects are all but airbrushed away from the sales pitch. If this stuff works for you, then you will surely agree with me that it is not without considerable discomfort; this stuff makes me feel very, very sick about 18/24 hours after drinking it. meaning, when taking them every day, that for a period of time lasting perhaps a couple of hours,I’m feeling really, really bad. My gut will bloat out, turn over, turn inside out, and I’ll feel like puking. BUT, what almost always happens at the end of this stage, regardless of whether I’ve already done so in the day, Is that i’ll take a **** and suddenly feel perfectly well and happy in the knowledge that my digestive system is running like a dream. I can confidently say that this product works for me, i cannot say, however, that it will for you. You have to try it, but it takes a couple of weeks for it to really take hold, so a drink here or there won’t tell you a thing. The benefits for me are: Less bloating, less wind, loss of weight (I gym 4-5 days a week, too) and much more consistent, and easy to pass, stools. The downside for me is the daily period of nausea and stomach churning. I’ve found that i can diminish somewhat these side effects by drinking one in the evening, rather than in the morning.
Posted by Shaper on 5th August 2011
I’m not sure I believe all of the made up latin names for the ingredients …..the claims are probably false, another exagerated claim/marketing strategy by a food company ……shocker !!!! But I do know that whenever I eat this …..it works !!!! I suffer from bouts of constipation (especially when I am dieting!) and if I eat one of these each day, then 100% of the time I will have a BM the next day ……..don’t know how it works …..but I’d stand up in court and say that it does !!!!!!!!! And no, I do not work for Dannon …….though I will happily accept some free yoghurt if they read this 🙂
Posted by Linda on 25th July 2011
Danone doesn’t just target the vulnerable consumer in its attempts to paint the illusion that it markets “health” products. It doesn’t draw the line at hoodwinking the medical profession as well. In the UK, on the Actimel webpage there is a button for “Healthcare Professionals” which takes the reader to a dedicated website that Danone have built just for Med Pros called “Probiotics in Practice”. It is a nice blue colour like all good medical sites should be, and is written in in good medical language. It even suggests CPD online learning modules (Continuing Professional Development) for the Med Pros to keep their hours up. They have even managed to deceive the British Dietetic Association (shame on them for accepting the money) into a partnership.
Simply on the strength of being a very ordinary dairy food company that makes a very average but expensive live yoghurt stuffed full of sugar to the HIGH level, Danone now thinks that it can join the ranks of medical professionals, and seeks to influence REAL medical professionals. This is a dangerous departure for a grocery company, and I cannot understand why they are not legally being taken to task in the UK over what is quite frankly a gross deception.
Posted by Taymount on 8th July 2011
I still don’t understand either…
Posted by daisey jane on 7th July 2011
where does this stuff come from?
Posted by ohio mae on 6th July 2011
i still don’t understand why is it helpful for humans co consume bifidus regularis 🙁
Posted by Enter your name here on 5th July 2011
Maybe this article will explain why it works differently for different people: http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/knowledge_base/kb/bifidus.htm
Posted by interested on 14th June 2011
Once upon a time, I was a Classics major, so made-up Latin works set off alarms for me. I bought a carton of Activia because I have had some problematic Candidae symptoms for many years and doctors don’t seem to deal with this. The various websites on Candidae suggest probiotic yoghurt may help keep it under control. Thought I would give it a try. We shall see. I don’t know whether or not there is any science behind Activia’s product, I do know there are lawyers on their tail for false claims. I do feel that Danone is overstepping the bounds by making up fakey names for an organism – that is not a good example for them to set – LAME, as my kids would say. Tacky, my Mom would say.
Posted by makinha on 11th June 2011
Yay! Corporations patenting living organisms and then disgarding scientifically given names in favour of more marketable. So, we have the exact same strain of bacteria and these guys decide to call it 8 different names. Why? Dunno, maybe it has something to do with all these retarded “I think I’ll have another Activa” posts. Personally, I think I’ll have Yoplait. At least they don’t lie to me.
Posted by Taquitos on 30th May 2011
Feeling much better. Every since I was a child and as far back as I can remember, my stool has always been hard and 3-4 days before a movement would produce. Since taking Activia; I have had a “normal” movement everyday! My abdomen no longer feels hard and bloated. I feel so much better. I will be buying more Activa as long as its helping; why not?
Posted by sheila on 25th May 2011
this is urgent does bifidus Regularis conflict with medecations such as ciprofloxacin and other antibiotics????
Posted by I need an answer Please on 23rd May 2011
By eating one a day, it keeps me regular daily and I feel alot healthier.
Posted by It works for me! on 20th May 2011
I just had my first cup of Activia but I will let you all know how it works for me but I must say it tastes good!
Posted by Brandy on 20th May 2011
It tastes great and I hate yogurt
Posted by I love the taste on 20th May 2011
The question is whether or not Activia Yogurt/Bifidus Animalis increase motility. The rest is neither here nor there.
I suffer from a much more severe form of constipation than most people do. I’ve been through many years of it, which eventually resulted in having part of my colon removed and my becoming disabled. I’ve consumed more yogurt and acidophilus than most people do in ten lifetimes. I’ve gone through every laxative made, and still can’t function normally, if at all. I am literally out of options, unless I go out of the country for some of the new, non-FDA approved drugs that are available in Europe, like Prucalopride (Resolor). My only other option is the complete removal of my colon.
My gastroenterologist, who’s the chief of gastroenterology at one of the best hospitals in NYC recommended that I start eating Activia to improve motility. I bought a bunch of it, but was almost discouraged by the bad press that Danone has gotten. I noticed that my motility had increased, but shrugged it off as a natural fluctuation. However, a few days later, I bought some more, and lo and behold, I was able to have BM’s again. I decided to test it out. I kept a record of how much Activia I ate and if it had an effect on motility, and much to my surprise, it does increase motility! Every day that I eat it, I not only am able to function the next day, but I have the healthiest looking stools I’ve had in years. When I fail to eat any, I’m constipated to death; unable to function for 3-4-5 days at a time and on the verge of intestinal perforation.
Obviously, there’s a conflict of interest when any company funds its own studies and then uses them to bolster health claims. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that their studies are incorrect. Government bodies like the FDA and FTC have long histories of bad judgement, and the American medical system is one of the slowest to recognize innovations in medicine. This is why there are numerous drugs that have been studied in many countries around the world that are perfectly safe and effective but still aren’t available in the US.
It should be noted that when the FTC cracked down on Danone, they did NOT make them stop claiming that Activia increases motility. They made them change it to say that not one but three containers per day increase motility. Big difference.
My best advice would be to put it to the test. If it works for you, use it. If not, don’t. It’s really that simple. Don’t let yogurt companies, a branch of the US government or the comments on this page decide these things for you. If you don’t like the sugars and additives in Activia, use it as a starter for making your own yogurt. By the time you get to your third generation, it will be free of additives, assuming that you use organic milk. Fresh yogurt is far more bioactive and tastes much better than store-bought yogurt. And the fact is that, when tested, 3 out of 4 commercially available yogurts have been found to contain NO active probiotic strains whatsoever. So much for the FDA.
Posted by GH on 19th May 2011
I’m not taken in by the branded pseudo-science but I have to admit I love the taste and texture of Activia. Here’s to a fresh-tasting cold-from-the-fridge yoghurt with all the benefits of a healthy dose of Bifidus Madeupium.
Posted by Anonymous on 15th May 2011
Basically, if you like the taste, it won’t do you any harm. We all need the calcium for our bones and these aren’t harmful bacteria. If you are having trouble with the marketing-ese of the product, you must be eating nothing but stuff from your own backyard! Anything with a package around it is likely to be “marketed” to the hilt. So, use common sense, investigate, and eat your yogurt!
Posted by Enter your name here on 15th May 2011
Hello Everyone, just imagine have u ever taken antibiotics?
if answer is yes! then it ,means you must take Bifidus Bacterium, as any antibiotics kill all good and bad germ inside your body, so therefore your flora is inactive and does not have functioned as normal. Therefore is good to intake bacteria in order to stay healthy , even u taken antibiotics, as antibiotic kills!
Unless it is Natural antibiotic that I usually take if ever need it..
Thank you all
Posted by Tanya on 13th May 2011
IS ACTIVIA GOOD FOR PREGNANT WOMAN?
Posted by QUITA on 11th May 2011
What happens when you eat to much of this bacteria???
Posted by Enter your name here on 11th May 2011
I love it, it has made my stomache feel so much better, and my stool is much better, I have not noticed frequent bowel movements as other people are saying. I just know I like it.
Posted by Enter your name here on 8th May 2011
I hate these invented words. They are specifically designed to make us believe in product effectiveness claims more than we would otherwise. I steer clear of any product that carries these made up words, to me they indicate there is something they are not telling us. Why not just say it contains Bifidus? I have no problem with ‘friendly bactreia’ most people are ignorant to the fact that not all bacteria is bad. I’m looking forward to seeing what laughable rubbish Danone come up with next.
Posted by Nathan Powers on 24th April 2011
Start*
Pardon me 😉
Posted by Terminator on 22nd April 2011
Um @gabriel…
Bifidus ballshit?
Stuped prices?
I think they’ll stop doing what you want when you learn to spell and speak like you’re not 5.
Soo…. never
Posted by Terminator on 22nd April 2011
I am not sure I like Activia, I was doing well without it. I have using it for the past 2 weeks and I feel like I want to go even when my stomach is empty. I also get a lot of gas…. today was my last intake. I don’t think I needed or want to have any more activia. It is making me sick…yuck!
Posted by Fatima on 22nd April 2011
Well Marie as a nurse I can tell you that you are not SUPPOSED to have more than one “poop” a day. Everybody has a different system and there is no “normal”. I also do not remember hearing any claims that you will LOSE weight with activia only that it helps REGULATE your digestive system.
Posted by DJ on 21st April 2011
Actually Amy, Stoneyfield bought Brown Cow and Stonyfield is 85% owned by Dannon anyways.
Posted by Mitch on 21st April 2011
I was doing a research paper for school on false adverstining and Activa is one of the worst. You are going to loose weight if you have a normal poop in the morning and actually you should have more than one poop a day, your colon is a muscle that needs to be worked out and all the food you take in a day has to come out somewhere. If you eat enough fiber, like veggies, friut and drink plenty of water you don’t need anything to help you poop. lay off the cheese. and don’t spend your money on activia, unless you get if for free
Posted by marie in michigan on 18th April 2011
Bifidus Regularis is likely a genetically modified probiotic strain.
Posted by Vickie on 16th April 2011
bifidus ballshit . stop selling fucking yogurt to people for stuped prices.
Posted by gabriel on 13th April 2011
ive been on activia for three days and have not been able to leave the house, it gives me the runs and the worst gas possible and gas pains. im going back to eating wholre real food and stiopping this gimmick.. jamie lee curtus should go back to making bad movies instead of giving bad advice about bowel movements
Posted by it give gas and the squirts on 13th April 2011
What a great article. Yes, read through the hype and note the mass of ingredients in yogurt that is meant to be ‘good’ for you. Danone have just started a big push of Activia here,
Also, I have found that it is so easy to make your own yogurt.
Posted by Anonymous on 10th April 2011
What don’t you people get? This is all a marketing ploy. Eat a real yogurt without Activia’s milk protein concentrate (highly processed reconstituted milk), modified food starch, gelatin, agar agar, carrageenan and xanthan gum (thickeners – why so many thickeners?). Make sure it contains a variety of bacterium including bifidus. Both Brown Cow and Stoneyfield Farm yogurts (for example) have plain, un-engineered ingredients in them plus 5 or more live active cultures (as opposed to Activia’s 3). They also do not use milk with growth hormone in it. Nor do they have all the other unnecessary ingredients found in Activa (compare labels). They are far healthier than the absolute junk you get in an Activia container and you get the same outcome. Wise up people. Stop being led around by your noses. Jeeze. I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you….
Posted by amy on 8th April 2011
i have been using activa for about 1 1/2 years now, after about a week of starting activa i starting noticing my bowel movements started to get regular again, first thing every morning–and they weren’t constipated or loose, they were normal again. then after about another week i started noticing weight loss–i had not been exercising, and i was not on a diet. the weight loss continued, and with slight embarressment i must tell you i contribute the loss to the wonderful poop i have every morning. my problem area has always been my mid-section being to big, and bloted, well folks thats the part activa gets rid of first. instead of reading all the negative stuff out there about activa (obviously from competitors) i wish you would try it for yourself, you have nothing to lose except stomach problems from irregularity, and weight lose. plus its very affordable. in case you think im being paid to write this you would be wrong. im just a lady who likes to share good findings of any kind with everyone. thanks, kathy in castalian springs, tn
Posted by kathyday44@gmail.com on 7th April 2011
I fully support BR!!
Posted by Krystal with a K on 5th April 2011
My friend Krystal with a K love it!
Posted by Bifidus on 5th April 2011
it’s laughable what some companies will do to make their products seem like they posess credible medicinal properties. People should look at Danone or Yakults’ track records for biased scientific papers, out of court settlements and ineffective levels (if any) of probiotic bacteria before they guzzle down these not particularly cheap ‘health drinks’.
Posted by Bifidus nonsensicus on 3rd April 2011
I would always see “Bifidus Regularis”on the front labe of the Activia yogurt!….though i never knew what it meant until now!…and,now that i know what this is i will buy more Activia!!!
Posted by sheila on 2nd April 2011
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Posted by è adatto per chi è intollerante al lattosio? Io uso bifidus soia on 25th March 2011