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  • Original Article
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Probiotic capsules do not lower plasma lipids in young women and men

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 232–237 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate the effect of probiotic capsules on plasma lipids.

Design:

A randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm trial.

Subjects:

Fifty-five normocholesterolemic subjects ages 18–36 (33 premenopausal women and 22 men).

Intervention:

Each subject consumed either three probiotic capsules each containing a total of 109 colony-forming units Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum and 10–15 mg fructo-oligosaccharide or three placebo capsules daily for 2 months (men) or two menstrual cycles (women). Plasma lipids were measured before and following the intervention (during the early follicular phase for women).

Results:

Plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride were not altered by consumption of probiotic or placebo capsules and were not different between treatment groups following the intervention.

Conclusions:

These results do not support a beneficial effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus strain DDS-1 and Bifidobacterium longum strain UABL-14 on plasma lipids in normocholesterolemic young women and men.

Sponsorship:

Supported by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and UAS Laboratories.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the General Clinical Research Center Grant MO1-RR00400 from the National Center for Research Resources and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. We thank the study participants for their time and dedication, as well as the staff at the General Clinical Research Center, University of Minnesota. The probiotic capsules were donated by UAS Laboratories, Minnetonka, Minnesota.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA

    K A Greany, M J L Bonorden, J M Hamilton-Reeves, M H McMullen, K E Wangen, J Feirtag & M S Kurzer

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA

    W R Phipps

  3. Department of Biostatistics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    W Thomas

Authors
  1. K A Greany
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  2. M J L Bonorden
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  3. J M Hamilton-Reeves
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  4. M H McMullen
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  5. K E Wangen
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  6. W R Phipps
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  7. J Feirtag
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  8. W Thomas
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  9. M S Kurzer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M S Kurzer.

Additional information

Guarantor: MS Kurzer.

Contributors: KAG was the primary author, assisted with subject recruiting and study coordination, and performed the lipid analysis; MJLB, JMH-R and MHM assisted with subject recruiting and study coordination, KEW assisted with study design; WRP assisted with study design and provided medical consulting; JF assisted with study design and provided microbiological consulting; WT assisted with study design and statistical analysis; MSK was the principal investigator and supervised all aspects of the study. All authors contributed to the data interpretation and manuscript preparation.

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Greany, K., Bonorden, M., Hamilton-Reeves, J. et al. Probiotic capsules do not lower plasma lipids in young women and men. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 232–237 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602719

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602719

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