Reducing the risk of infection in the elderly by dietary intake of yoghurt fermented withLactobacillus delbrueckiissp.bulgaricusOLL1073R-1

Abstract

Immune senescence potentially leads to an increased risk of infections. It is desirable to augment the immune system and protect against infections by daily consumption of immunostimulatory food. The present study evaluated whether the intake of yoghurt fermented with Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus (L. bulgaricus) OLL1073R-1 has an effect on resistance to the common cold. We conducted two independent studies, in which fifty-seven (median age 74·5 years) and eighty-five healthy elderly individuals (median age 67·7 years) were participants. In each study, the subjects were divided into two groups based on age and sex and instructed to eat 90 g yoghurt or drink 100 ml milk once per d over an 8-or 12-week period. A meta-analysis of the results of these two independent studies showed the risk of catching the common cold was about 2·6 times lower (OR 0·39; P¼ 0·019) in the yoghurt group than in the milk group and the increase of natural killer cell activity was significantly higher in the yoghurt group than in the milk group (P¼0·028). In addition, the quality of life score for the 'eye/nose/throat' system after intake was significantly higher in the yoghurt group than in the milk group and the improvement of the score was correlated with the promotion of natural killer cell activity. In conclusion, consumption of yoghurt fermented with L. bulgaricus OLL1073R-1 augmented natural killer cell activity and reduced the risk of catching the common cold in elderly individuals. The proportion and absolute number of individuals above the age of 65 years are steadily increasing in most countries, particularly in industrialised nations. It is recognised that elderly individuals suffer from not only common age-related illness, including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's dementia, diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis, but more frequent and more severe infections than younger individuals. The reasons for this include epidemiological elements, immunosenescence and malnutrition, as well as a large number of age-associated physiological and anatomical alterations (1)

Influence of Different Sterilization Conditions on the Growth and Exopolysaccharide of <i>Streptococcus thermophilus</i> and Co-Cultivation with <i>Lactobacillus delbrueckii</i> subsp. <i>bulgaricus</i> OLL1073R-1

“…Previous reports indicated that the viable cell numbers of S. thermophilus in yogurt were higher than those of L. bulgaricus [15] [16] [24], and bacterial cell numbers of L. bulgaricus in yogurt were increased by stirring during fermentation [25]. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that bacterial cell numbers of L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus in yogurt depend on cultivation time and environmental conditions.…”

Exopolysaccharide and lactic acid bacteria: Perception, functionality and prospects

“…An exopolysaccharide isolated from a probiotic strain L. bulgaricus OLL1073R-1 showed potent immuno -stimulatory effect (Makino et al, 2006;NishimuraUemura et al, 2003). Further, the effect of yogurt fermented with OLL1073R-1 on the reduced risk of respiratory infections was visualized in elderly following cohort studies (Nagai et al, 2011;Makino et al, 2010). It was found that fermented yogurt augmented the NK cell activity in the subjects who had lower NK cell activity, confirming that administration of exopolysaccharide containing yogurt might have potential role to prevent the infections of influenza virus since lymphocyte natural killer cells of innate immune system have crucial role in the early host defense against various viral infections (Makino et al, 2010;Viver et al, 2008).…”

Are vaccination models suitable to determine whether probiotics have beneficial health effects in the general population?

“…bulgaricus OLL1073R-1 was associated with a 2.6-fold lower risk of catching a cold. 15 Other studies have shown benefits for respiratory symptoms in athletic cohorts, 16 children 17 and shift workers. 18 However, these effects are not uniform.…”