[DigitalToday reporter Dae-geon Seok] Hecto Healthcare disclosed to academia development results for HH202-LB, a probiotic ingredient consisting of live lactic acid bacteria that help gut health. Hecto Healthcare said on Sunday it introduced the research results while participating in the 2026 International Academic Conference of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition held at the Jeju International Convention Center. HH202-LB is an ingredient that received individual recognition this year from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for functionality that may help reduce body fat.

Kim Sang-hoon (김상훈), an executive director at Hecto Healthcare's Microbiome Research Institute, presented in a session on microbiome-based metabolic regulation under the theme of body fat management in the GLP-1 era. He noted that the spread of GLP-1 class obesity drugs that use hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar is changing the weight management environment.

He also presented directions for everyday body fat management before it reaches the disease stage and for research into functional ingredients to support it. The ingredient is a complex combining Lacticaseibacillus paracasei BEPC22 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BELP53 derived from the gut of healthy people. He also shared a development strategy that designed in advance research directions and evaluation items in line with ministry guidelines, building step-by-step evidence from non-clinical studies to human application trials.

The company conducted a 12-week human application trial in overweight adults. Participants were randomly divided and compared with a placebo in a double-blind design in which neither investigators nor participants knew the assignments. As a result, body fat mass in the test group decreased by about 1.92 kg. The company said significant differences versus the placebo group were also confirmed in major indicators such as body fat percentage and visceral fat area.

Hecto Healthcare said it registered 2 domestic patents related to strains, compositions and uses during the development process and published the research results in an international academic journal. Based on this, it plans to launch a body fat management lactic acid bacteria product using HH202-LB in the first half of next year and to expand its probiotics R&D capabilities into the body fat management field. At its conference booth, it also showcased existing products such as the oral probiotic Doctor Breath and the vaginal-derived probiotic Innerviom.

Kim Seok-jin (김석진), CEO of Hecto Healthcare, said, "HH202-LB is a research achievement that has accumulated scientific evidence step by step from strain discovery and non-clinical research to human application trials and functional recognition." He added, "We will continue to discover functional ingredients based on our capabilities in microbiome and probiotics research, and strengthen R&D competitiveness by linking research results to actual products and business."