Probiotic strain may help manage CVD risks
Data published in Beneficial Microbes indicated that eight weeks of consuming a yogurt formulated with the Inducia strain led to significant improvements in levels of cholesterol and blood glucose.
The studies, which included a total of 240 normal and overweight people, also found that the Inducia strain was associated with an antioxidant effect, reported scientists from BioCC OÜ and the University of Tartu in Estonia.
“The consumption of the probiotic L. plantarum Inducia expresses antioxidative effect on blood lipids, also demonstrating an anti-cholesterolemic impact and anti-glycaemic profile. The gained beneficial effect can be translated as reduction of risk factors of CVD,” wrote the researchers led by Dr Jelena Štšepetova.
Studies
The data adds to the growing body of science supporting a role for select probiotic strains to support cardiovascular health and reduce CVD risk in adults.
The first study, called JOG4BC, randomly assigned 136 people to receive a yogurt formulated with or without L. plantarum Inducia (5.9 billion CFUs) every day for 8 weeks. The second study, called JOG5, included 105 people randomly assigned to receive the yogurt with or without 2 billion CFUs of the probiotic, again for eight weeks.
The results showed that participants consuming the probiotic yogurt in both trials experienced significant reductions in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and non-HDL cholesterol, with changes reported after just four weeks for people with normal BMI and borderline cholesterol levels.
Normal weight people also experienced significant reductions in levels of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha, while overweight participants had significant reductions in levels of another proinflammatory cytokine called IL-6 during the first four weeks of probiotic yogurt consumption.
“Lowering the IL-6 level in subjects with increased BMI could help to decrease the intensity of the chronic and systemic inflammation. In turn, it helps to decrease the risk of CVD by decreasing the development of atherosclerosis,” wrote Dr Štšepetova and her co-workers.
Overweight participants were also found to experience reductions in blood glucose levels and an antioxidant effect, reported
While the researchers did assess fecal microbiota, and found changes in lactobacilli counts in both studies, they noted that metagenomic sequencing may provide data on, “diversity and important intestinal microbiota members as well as the role of microbiota and probiotics in influencing clinical indices”.
Such metagenomic answers could be provided from data from a another clinical trials that provided the Inducia strain as a dietary supplement that was recently completed, they noted.
Source: Beneficial Microbes
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.3920/BM2022.0030
“Impact of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Inducia on metabolic and antioxidative response in cholesterol and BMI variable indices: randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials”
Authors: J. Štšepetova et al.
