Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. 120 grams of goat milk per day for 6 weeks in combination with a daily probiotic significantly improved cholesterol and blood glucose levels in test group compared to control. Inflammatory protein levels decreased in both groups.
For those with type 2 diabetes, management centers on keeping blood sugar levels under control. But type 2 diabetes is also associated with inflammation throughout the body (1) and increased cell damage (“oxidative stress”) (2) which causes insulin resistance (3). As a result, finding ways to help type 2 diabetics manage their inflammation levels and control oxidative stress is of primary importance.
Now a new study (4) builds upon previous research (5, 6) and suggests that probiotics may be a benefit to type 2 diabetics. The study involved 47 subjects (26 men, 19 women) between the ages of 43 and 57 with type 2 diabetes for at least one year. They consumed 120 grams of fermented goat’s milk per day for 6 weeks. One group’s milk was supplemented with 1 billion colony-forming units of Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 and Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis BB-12 (23 subjects). The control group’s milk contained no supplement (24 subjects).
After 6 weeks, the following results were observed in fasting blood samples:
| Probiotic Group | Control Group | p - value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HbA1C* (%) | 11.1% decrease (6.07 to 5.40) | 5.7% increase (5.35 to 5.66) | 0.02 |
| Total Cholesterol (mmol/L) | 3.3% decrease (4.66 to 4.51) | 9.2% increase (4.85 to 5.30) | 0.04 |
| LDL Cholesterol (mmol/L) | 7.6% decrease (2.31 to 2.11) | 16% increase (2.24 to 2.60) | 0.03 |
A surprising finding of the study was that both groups saw a significant decrease in inflammatory proteins:
| Probiotics | Control | p - value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| TNF-alpha (picogram/milliliter) | 20% decrease (13.5 to 10.8) | 20.3% decrease (13.8 to 11) | < 0.05 |
| Resistin (nanograms/milliliter) | 29.4% decrease (7.5 to 5.3) | 25.8% decrease (8.75 to 6.5) | < 0.001 |
The researchers ascribed this finding not to probiotics but instead to sugars contained in goat’s milk called oligosaccharides and proteins called “bioactive peptides” to improve digestive health and affect inflammatory protein levels (7, 8).
Although they concluded that “Probiotic consumption improved the glycemic control in type 2 diabetes subjects” and that “probiotics as functional foods offer great potential to improve health and/or help prevent certain diseases when taken as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle”, the researchers recommended that their results “need to be confirmed in long-term trials.”
* HbA1c is an important blood test for diabetics that shows how well their blood sugar is being controlled. For people without diabetes, the normal range for the hemoglobin A1c test is between 4% and 5.6%. Hemoglobin A1c levels between 5.7% and 6.4% indicate increased risk of diabetes, and levels of 6.5% or higher indicate diabetes
Source: Tonucci, Livia Bordalo, et al. “Clinical application of probiotics in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.” Clinical Nutrition (2015).
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.
Posted April 4, 2016.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- Kershaw EE, Flier JS. Adipose tissue as an endocrine organ. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004;89:2548e56
- Rani AJ, Mythili SV. Study on total antioxidant status in relation to oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes mellitus. J Clin Diagn Res 2014;8:108e10
- Muoio DM, Newgard CB. Molecular and metabolic mechanisms of insulin resistance and [beta]-cell failure in type 2 diabetes. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2008;9:193e205
- Tonucci LB. Clinical application of probiotics in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Clin Nutr. 2015 Dec 7. pii: S0261-5614(15)00331-3. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2015.11.011. [Epub ahead of print]
- Hsieh F-C, Lee C-L, Chai C-Y, Chen W-T, Lu Y-C, Wu C-S. Oral administration of Lactobacillus reuteri GMNL-263 improves insulin resistance and ameliorates hepatic steatosis in high fructose-fed rats. Nutr Metab 2013;10:35
- Wang S, Zhu H, Lu C, Kang Z, Luo Y, Feng L, et al. Fermented milk supplemented with probiotics and prebiotics can effectively alter the intestinal microbiota and immunity of host animals. J Dairy Sci 2012;95:4813e22
- Martínez-Augustin O, Rivero-Guti_errez B, Mascaraque C, S_anchez de Medina F. Food derived bioactive peptides and intestinal barrier function. Int J Mol Sci 2014;15:22857e73
- Marcone S, Haughton K, Simpson P, Belton O, Fitzgerald D. Milk-derived bioactive peptides inhibit human endothelial-monocyte interactions via PPAR-gamma dependent regulation of NF-kappaB. J Inflamm 2015;12:1
