
Gut-health supplement made by Cork scientists picks up pharmacy award for the ninth year in a row
Alflorex won the Best Digestive Product award on the night as the supplement continues to gain industry recognition.
Developed by scientists and gastroenterologists at PrecisionBiotics, and in collaboration with the APC Microbiome Institute at University College Cork, Alflorex features the exclusive bacterial strain, 35624, which has undergone rigorous clinical testing and research spanning over 15 years.
Shirley O'Regan, Marketing Manager, PrecisionBiotics Ireland, said she is 'thrilled' with the support offered by Irish pharmacists.
'PrecisionBiotics, with its unwavering commitment to rigorous scientific research, has a long-standing reputation for developing high-quality products.
'Alflorex, a testament to this commitment, has consistently proven to be a top-quality product, endorsed by both the public and industry experts. Thank you for being an essential part of our journey,' she said.
The panel of judges at the 2025 Irish Pharmacy OTC Awards commended Alflorex for its carefully selected ingredients and balanced formula, focusing on gut health and overall wellness.
They also praised it for proven efficacy in clinical trials and noted that it is frequently prescribed by specialists in gastroenterology.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Journal
5 hours ago
- The Journal
Skin-care routine videos commonly show 'harmful' (and expensive) regiments for children
VIDEOS OF SKIN-CARE routines on social media are harmful and promote a 'high standard of beauty' to girls aged between 7 and 18 years old, a US study has found. On average, skin-care routine videos on social media show women and girls using six products at a time. Some videos included in the Northwestern University study showed content creators using up to 12 products at one time. According to researchers in the US this week, the use of a large amount of products can increase the risk of irritation as a result of the cosmetics using multiple active ingredients. It comes as Irish dermatologists have reported an increase in the number of products that girls are using on their skin, with one expert warning of the adverse effects that the use of multiple cosmetics can have on the skin's durability. Dr Caitríona Ryan, a consultant dermatologist and professor at University College Dublin, said this year that 'concerning trends' have been seen recently among children aged 9 and 12 years old. She said that the routines by Irish children can be complex and expensive, and are often unsuitable for young, developing skin. The US study said that, on average, the cost of skin-care regiments online was $168 (€147). Ryan said that, often, videos online are targeted towards people with ageing skin, using products that can be damaging to young skin. She added: 'Also, [girls are] adopting layering skin care. Sometimes up to ten steps, morning and evening. Things that they're being told are 'essential' and which aren't appropriate at all for young, developing skin.' High-risk behaviour One example in the study showed a content creator use ten products on their face within six minutes. Senior author Dr Tara Lagu, medical social sciences lecturer at the university, said there was a visible skin reaction on the woman's face in the video. Dr Molly Hales of Northwestern University said high-risk behaviour was witnessed in videos included in the American study. Only 26% of the videos collected by the researchers included some type of sunscreen. Advertisement She said high-risk behaviour also included 'using multiple active ingredients at the same time, such as hydroxy acids, as well as applying the same active ingredient, unknowingly, over and over again when that active ingredient was found in three, four, five different products'. Ryan said, in a video posted to Instagram this year , that commonly-found active ingredients can 'damage the skin barrier' for girls or cause frequent irritation or irritant contact dermatitis as they are often unsuitable for developing skin. 'The layering regiments can [also] congest the skin and start to cause acne cosmetica – acne caused by mechanically closing the pores and causing blockage of the pores,' she said. 'Unrealistic beauty expectations' Northwestern University's study concluded that the videos included in its report 'offer little-to-no benefit' to the children they are targeted at. Hales said that the videos are 'setting a very high standard' for girls. 'The pursuit of health has become a kind of virtue in our society but the idea of 'heath' is also very wrapped up in ideals of beauty, thinness and whiteness. This insidious thing about 'skin care' is that it claims to be about health,' she added. Lagu said the videos included in the study, which were collected through the creation of a TikTok account which reported itself to be a 13-year-old girl, 'really emphasised lighter, brighter skin'. She added: 'I think there also were real associations between the use of these regimens and consumerism'. Speaking this year, Ryan said what could be considered as an 'even more important' side effect of excessive skin-care routine videos online is that they create 'unrealistic beauty expectations' for children. The dermatologist said: 'Seeing filtered images on social media the whole time and trying to work towards this flawless, glass-like skin is very, very concerning. They can't accept any type of blemish or any minor, little skin concern. 'This is at a point that they're forming their self identity, so it can be very damaging in terms of confidence and body image overall. 'This is the start of a trajectory of skin care and looking after their skin, and it's something that we really have to look long and hard at,' she added. She recommended that parents purchase gentle cleaners for their children to use in the morning and evening, and recommended the use of a moisturising sunscreen. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal


Agriland
5 hours ago
- Agriland
Watch: ABP marks 10 years of research at demo farm
ABP Food Group hosted a special event today (Tuesday, June 10) to mark a decade of research on the ABP Demo Farm in Co. Carlow. Attended by agri-industry personnel from across Ireland, the event highlighted progress made to date on reducing climate emissions and improving on-farm efficiency. The Sheppard family-owned, 280ac dairy-beef farm, has partnered with ABP since 2015. The partnership was established to test and validate practical on-farm solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from beef production, whilst also increasing efficiency. The ABP Demo Farm research is in collaboration with, and independently verified by, Teagasc and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF). The key findings and achievements from the ABP Demo Farm to date include: The farm's carbon footprint is 32% lower than the average beef farm in Ireland, based on Bord Bia data, with steers finished 180 days earlier (ABP Beef Benchmark Report); The research findings indicate that high genetic merit beef sires, compared to lower-merit sires, produce cattle that are on average 38kg heavier and worth €301/head more at the same slaughter age. The gap between the best and worst sires reached 62kg in carcass weight and €511 in carcass value; Hereford cattle ranked in the top third of the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) and delivered €220 more in returns than those in the bottom third; Over 5,500 cattle have gone through the trial programme to date with more than 80,000 live-weights recorded from the trial farm alone; 150,000 doses of semen have been distributed through the Gene Ireland Programme; Progeny from 279 AI beef bulls have been tested, with these sires going on to produce 885,000 calves on Irish farms. The establishment of the ABP Demo Farm followed findings from ABP's work with the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which revealed that over 90% of emissions across its supply chain occur at farm level. Ongoing and future research initiatives at the ABP Demo Farm include: Working with the ICBF, Teagasc, and Meat Technology Ireland (MTI) to develop genetic strategies for earlier finishing and lower daily methane emissions; Participation in the Water EIP Programme with Teagasc and the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) to enhance water quality without compromising productivity, with three ABP team members currently training to support farmers through this scheme; Being the first beef farm in Ireland to adopt the Glasport Bio GasAbate slurry inoculation system, which Teagasc has shown reduces methane emissions by 80% and ammonia by 50%; Running a second-year grazing study in partnership with University College Dublin and BiOrbic, comparing multi-species swards and perennial ryegrass in terms of animal performance, grass growth, fertiliser use, and environmental impact; Measuring soil carbon stocks through 273 soil samples across different depths to track future gains in carbon sequestration. The research findings from the ABP Demo Farm have directly contributed to the creation of ABP Beef Benchmark Report and support the ICBF Gene Ireland Beef programme which aims to identify the most suitable beef bulls for use on the dairy herd. Advantage Beef Programme The success of the ABP Demonstration Farm has also led to the creation of the ABP Advantage Beef Programme, an enterprise partnership that assists farmers to build a more-sustainable beef business. The programme now includes over 1,000 participating suppliers and is a key element in expanding the research findings of the ABP Demonstration Farm across the family farm supply chain. In 2024, the 35,000 cattle produced as part of the ABP Advantage Beef Programme were on average 85 days younger at finish, with just a 4kg lighter carcass weight. ABP is currently working with Teagasc, ICBF and MTI on new projects focused on genetic selection for earlier finishing and animals that emit less methane per day, as well as projects focused on improving water and soil quality. Agri-sustainability manager at ABP, Stephen Connolly, said: 'The ABP Demonstration Farm is a long-term investment in the future of sustainable beef production in Ireland. 'Our objective is to develop systems and share solutions that support farmers and allow their businesses to grow. The key focus of our projects is economic and environmental sustainability and in this, our key areas are animal breeding and grassland management. 'Although this farm is focused on dairy beef, many of the practices developed here can be transferred to suckler-beef systems, which remain an integral part of Ireland's beef sector,' Connolly added.


RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Leaving Cert Diary 2025: We say slán to Irish and goodbye Biology!
As we say slán to Irish, it means that the mandatory subjects are out of the way. It was still a long slog those sitting Irish Paper 2 and Biology. We are here with another instalment of the Leaving Cert Diary series, with thanks to our friends at the Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU). Rónán is a sixth year student and Irish language activist based in Wicklow, and he is back again today to chat Paper 2. But, first we hear from Galway student Michaela who sat Biology this evening. Don't forget to take a break while you can, and if you want any tips for the remaining subjects, plus lots more besides visit RTÉ Learn. Walking into the Biology exam today, I don't think I've ever been as nervous. Biology is one of those subjects where the paper can either be your best friend or your worst nightmare. As someone who's passionate about the subject and hoping to become a Biology teacher in the future, I was really hoping the paper would go my way. Thankfully, it did - for the most part. From the moment I opened the paper, I let out a quiet sigh of relief. The short questions were a lovely start, covering topics like photosynthesis and food - two areas I'd spent a lot of time revising. They're some of my favourite topics, and seeing them right at the beginning gave me a huge confidence boost. In Section B, I tackled the ecology question and the experiment on osmosis. I was genuinely delighted to see osmosis appear. It's always been one of the easier experiments for me to understand and explain, and it felt like a reward for the hours I'd put into preparing for all the practicals. Ecology can sometimes be a bit unpredictable, but I felt I managed it well this time. That said, the paper wasn't without its tricky moments. Some questions, particularly in Section C, were worded in ways that made me pause and think carefully. But I stayed calm and reminded myself to trust the work I'd done. I was really pleased to be able to answer questions on three of my favourite topics: the skeletal system, the circulatory system, and homeostasis. These are the parts of Biology that really sparked my interest in the subject, and getting the chance to write about them in detail felt like things had come full circle. Overall, I'm absolutely thrilled. After all the time, stress, and effort, it felt like everything came together when it counted. The exam challenged me, but I felt prepared. Today reaffirmed why I love Biology so much, and it made me even more excited about my future career. I walked out of the exam hall smiling, knowing that my hard work had truly paid off. It's Rónán arís with his blog on Irish Paper 2... There was a quiet focus this morning as students opened Paper 2 of the Irish exam, a paper that was both challenging and fair. The general reaction was relief, with just a few moments of confusion where wording would have pushed students' vocabulary to their limits. The first léamhthuiscint paid tribute to Rory Gallagher, marking thirty years since the legendary guitarist's death. A fitting inclusion that offered a blend of culture and history in a way that felt fresh and thoughtful. The second reading comprehension took on sport in Ireland, highlighting key themes like recognition for athletes, the growing role of women in sport, and the continued need for government investment. Prose followed the predictions closely. Hurlamaboc gave us another look at Lisín, ever polished and endlessly in control. Oisín i dTír na nÓg returned too, asking students to examine the hero caught between two worlds and one that many had prepared for. Poetry brought another wave of reassurance. Colscaradh and An Spailpín Fánach came with reliable questions, giving students a chance to settle into familiar territory. Then came the filíocht breise, and with it was a twist. I had joked yesterday that if Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire appeared, I'd be ag caoineadh myself, hoping for Colmáin which hasn't appeared on the paper since 2019. At first glance, the Caoineadh question looked daunting. The language was weighty, which fits the poem itself. But with a steady approach and a good grasp of its emotional depth, it was very much achievable. This was a fair and fitting conclusion to the Irish course. The texts were familiar, the themes engaging, and students were given a real chance to show what they'd learned. Is fada an bóthar nach mbíonn casadh ann and a few may have felt those bends in the road briefly lost in the phrasing of some questions - a bit like Oisín trying to find his way, but I hope that most found solid ground in the end. Founded in 2008, the ISSU is the national representative body for school students in the Republic of Ireland. The ISSU is led by students, for students.