RESUMEN
A dose-escalation study was conducted to find the effective dose of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris FC for improving defecation in healthy subjects. Twenty-seven subjects were recruited and consecutively ingested a placebo and two dose levels of L. cremoris FC (dose level 1, 1 × 107 cfu; dose level 2, 2 × 107 cfu) capsules daily for two weeks. Frequency of defecation (times/week) was significantly increased by dose level 2, and stool volume (units/week) was significantly increased by dose level 1. This dose-escalation study elucidated that intake of at least 1 × 107 cfu L. cremoris FC improves defecation.
RESUMEN
Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis GCL2505 (B. lactis GCL2505) is able to survive passage through the intestine and then proliferate, leading to an increase in the amount of gut bifidobacteria. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of B. lactis GCL2505 on abdominal visceral fat storage in overweight and mildly obese Japanese adults. This clinical study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparative trial performed for 12 weeks. Healthy Japanese subjects (N=137) with body mass indices ranging from 23 to 30 kg/m2 consumed either fermented milk containing B. lactis GCL2505 or a placebo every day, and then visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat areas were measured by computed tomography as the primary endpoints. The number of fecal bifidobacteria was also measured. Visceral fat area, but not subcutaneous fat area, was significantly reduced from baseline at 8 and 12 weeks in the GCL2505 group, compared with the placebo group. The total number of fecal bifidobacteria was significantly increased in the GCL2505 group. These results indicate that B. lactis GCL2505 reduces abdominal visceral fat, a key factor associated with metabolic disorders. This finding suggests that this probiotic strain can potentially serve as a specific functional food to achieve visceral fat reduction in overweight or mildly obese individuals.
