Hecto Healthcare said on Wednesday that its self-developed probiotics blend BN-202M received individual recognition from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for a function described as potentially helping reduce body fat. The company said the ingredient was approved as an individually recognised health functional food ingredient. BN-202M combines two strains derived from the gut of healthy people and is designed for a daily intake of 50 billion CFU.

Hecto Healthcare said on May 26 that its CEO Kim Seok-jin (김석진) appeared in a JTBC documentary to explain the gut microbiome ecosystem and criteria for selecting probiotics. Kim described the gut as a “second brain” linked to immune, metabolic and brain health and highlighted the importance of managing gut health. He said a healthy gut depends on balance and diversity among microbes and stressed checking guaranteed live counts and scientific validation when choosing probiotics.