Effect of fermented milk containing the probiotic Lactobacillus casei DN-114001 on winter infections in free-living elderly subjects: a randomised, controlled pilot study

Abstract

Probiotics are being increasingly studied for their ability to enhance host resistance to, and recovery from, infection. The probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei DN-114001 has previously been shown to reduce the incidence and duration of episodes of diarrhoea in children. Our controlled pilot study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation for 3 weeks with milk fermented with yoghurt cultures and L. casei DN-114001 on the incidence and severity of winter infections (gastrointestinal and respiratory) in elderly people. We found no difference in the incidence of winter infections between groups. However, duration of all pathologies was significantly lower in the treatment group (7.0 3.2 days, n=180) than in the control group (8.7 3.7 days; n=180) (p=0.024), as was maximal temperature (38.3 0.5 C treatment group vs. 38.5 0.6 C control; p=0.01). The potential for a 20% reduction in the duration of winter infections that we have found warrants further investigation on a larger scale.