Fewer Community-Acquired Colds with Daily Consumption of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HEAL9 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei 8700:2. A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background Viral infections of the upper airways are the most common cause for absence from work or school, and there is evidence for probiotic efficacy in reducing the incidence and severity of these infections. Objectives We aimed to confirm the previously reported beneficial effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HEAL9 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei 8700:2 against community-acquired common colds and identify a possible mechanism of action. Methods In a double-blind study, healthy adults (18–70 years of age) with at least 4 colds during the last 12 months before recruitment were randomly allocated to consume either probiotics (n = 448; total daily dose of 109 CFU with the 2 strains equally represented) or placebo (n = 450) once daily for 12 weeks. Recruitment took place from October to February during 2013–2016 (over 3 cold seasons). The probiotic impact on the severity of the colds (Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey−21) was the primary endpoint, whereas secondary endpoints included the incidence rate and duration of colds and an analysis of immune markers. Mann-Whitney U test and mixed model were used for the analysis of continuous variables and Fisher´s exact test was used for the analysis of categorical endpoints. Results Symptom severity was not reduced after intake of the probiotic, despite the positive trend seen in the first season. However, significantly fewer colds were experienced in the probiotic group (mean of 1.24 colds) as compared to the placebo group (mean of 1.36 colds; P = 0.044) for subjects reporting at least 1 cold, the incidence of recurring colds was 30% lower (20.8% vs. 29.8%, respectively; P = 0.055), and the use of analgesics was 18% lower (26.3% vs. 32%, respectively; P = 0.07). After 12 weeks, the change from baseline for IFN-γ differed between the groups (mean difference of −7.01; 95% CI, −14.9 to 0.93; P = 0.045). Conclusions Intake of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HEAL9 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei 8700:2 can be protective against multiple colds in adults prone to getting colds. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02013934.

The effect of probiotics on respiratory tract infection with special emphasis on COVID-19: Systemic review 2010–20

“…Ahrén et al reported that there was no significant difference between the study groups in the incidence and the overall number of side effects reported by children. However, more gastrointestinal side effects in the probiotic group compared to the control group seem to be explained by a higher frequency of vomiting, an AE was also reported in other studies following the administration of probiotics to young children (Ahrén et al, 2021).…”

“…The results of many studies suggest that probiotics as health supplements and treatment agents are safe (Ahrén et al, 2021). However, the side effects of probiotics should be controlled when used in a specific population.…”

Selection of Probiotics in the Prevention of Respiratory Tract Infections and Their Impact on Occupational Health: Scoping Review

“…Pearson's coefficient was r 2 = 0.06. The years with the highest number of published works were 2021 with three [22][23][24] followed by two studies each in 2019 [25,26], 2018 [27,28], 2015 [29,30], 2011 [31,32], 2010 [33,34], and 2005 [35,36]. The years with only one publication were 2016 [37], 2012 [38], and 2013 [39].…”

“…Most of the studies (88%) included in the review were double-blind clinical trials with placebo and control group [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39], except for Shida et al [30] without masking patients and researchers. Of these works, four were developed in Germany [22,29,33,36], three each in China [23,24,27] and the United States [32,37,38], two each in Malaysia [25,28], Japan [26,30], and Sweden [34,35], and a single study each in the countries of Denmark [29], Australia [39], and Italy [31]. All of them written in English.…”

Probiotics for the Prevention of Acute Respiratory-Tract Infections in Older People: Systematic Review

“…There are at least 150 published clinical trials that have assessed the beneficial effect of probiotic consumption in preventing URTIs conducted on various populations. Some positive effects on various groups of adults from recent studies include significantly fewer community-acquired colds [97], significantly decreased URTI symptoms [98], significantly reduced URTI [99] and significantly fewer number of days with URTI symptoms [100].…”