Written by Angeline A. De Leon, Staff Writer. This study demonstrates that probiotic yogurt and acidified milk can potentially reduce inflammation associated with a high-fat diet as well as alter the taxa of our gut microbiota.
The human gastrointestinal tract is home to a complex and diverse community of microorganisms, collectively referred to as gut microbiota. Over the last decade, the critical role of microbiota in homeostasis and disease risk has become increasingly apparent, with studies linking certain patterns of flora composition to conditions such as metabolic dysfunction1,2. As a result, the use of probiotics, in the form of isolated bacterial strains as well as additives to dairy products 3, has become popularized as a means of disease prevention. For example, human studies suggest that modulation of chronic, low-grade inflammation, a known risk factor for metabolic disease 4, may be possible through dietary interventions targeting intestinal microbiota with gut-derived factors 5,6. Dairy products such as milk have also been shown to modulate both inflammatory response and composition of gut microbiota 7,8, although many factors, such as type and formulation of dairy product and duration of ingestion, can influence the efficacy of probiotic treatment. In order to understand the effects of dairy products on metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers, a recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition compared the impact of a probiotic yogurt and acidified milk on microbial gut composition and inflammatory response induced by a high-fat meal test (HFM).
In a randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial, a total of 14 healthy young males (aged 18-40 years) were recruited for participation. Two dairy products, yogurt containing the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and milk acidified with D-(+)-glucono-δ-lactone (2%) to mimic a yogurt texture, were randomly allocated to volunteers (seven volunteers per test sequence) and tested over a two-week intervention phase, with each intervention period followed by a 3-week wash-out phase. A series of postprandial tests (a dairy product test evaluating response to a single dose of the assigned dairy product and an HFM test evaluating each dairy group’s response to a transient state of inflammation induced by saturated fat and sugar) were carried out (baseline assessments for HFM test were conducted following a run-in period during which full-fat milk was provided to normalize dairy intake prior to intervention), and blood samples and fecal samples were collected for metabolic/inflammatory marker and microbiota analyses.
While no significant differences in inflammatory response to the HFM test were detected after probiotic yogurt vs. acidified milk intake, responses for IL6, CCL5, and TNFα (inflammatory chemokines/cytokines) to the HFM were found to be significantly diminished following both interventions, in comparison to baseline tests (p < 0.001 for both). In parallel with reduced inflammatory response, significant changes in microbiota taxa were also evident: decreased abundance of Bilophila wadsworthia after acidified milk (log 2-fold-change, FC = -1.5, adjusted p = 0.05) and probiotic yogurt intake (FC = -1.3, adjusted p = 0.03); increased abundance of Bifidobacterium species after acidified milk intake (FC = 1.4, adjusted p = 0.04); and detection of Lactobacillus delbrueckii spp. Bulgaricus (FC = 7.0, adjusted p < 0.01) and Streptococcus salivarius spp. thermophilus after probiotic yogurt intake (FC = 6.0, adjusted p < 0.01).
In general, results suggest a favorable role of dairy-based probiotics on inflammation associated with a high-fat diet. Both probiotic yogurt and acidified milk appeared to produce a similar reduction in postprandial inflammation, while simultaneously modifying the taxa of gut microbiota, including Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Bifidobacterium, and Bilophila. Findings indicate that probiotic yogurt and acidified milk should be considered in the designing of dietary treatments targeting low-grade inflammation.
Source: Burton KJ, Rosikiewicz, Pimental G, et al. Probiotic yogurt and acidified milk similarly reduce postprandial inflammation and both alter the gut microbiota of healthy, young men. British Journal of Nutrition. 2017; 117: 1312-1322. DOI: 10.1017/S0007114517000885.
© The Authors 2017
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Posted October 8, 2018.
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