Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec 8:9:1063584.
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1063584. eCollection 2022.

Intake of Lactobacillus paragasseri SBT2055 improves subjective symptoms of common cold during winter season in healthy adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group comparative study

Eiji Kobatake  1 , Yoshitaka Iwama  2 , Toshinobu Arai  3 , Nobuhiko Shioya  4 , Mai Kise  5 , Toshihide Kabuki  1
Affiliations

Intake of Lactobacillus paragasseri SBT2055 improves subjective symptoms of common cold during winter season in healthy adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group comparative study

Eiji Kobatake et al. Front Nutr. .

Abstract

Objective: Lactobacillus paragasseri SBT2055 (LG2055) has been reported to show immunostimulating effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of LG2055 on the subjective symptoms of the physical condition in healthy adults.

Materials and methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparative study, Japanese individuals aged 20-64 years were recruited. A total of 200 participants were randomly divided into two groups by an independent controller (LG2055 and placebo groups; 100 participants per group). Drinkable yogurts containing LG2055 or lacking LG2055 (placebo) were used as test samples. The participants ingested one bottle of the test sample once a day for 12 weeks. A daily physical health questionnaire survey (about common cold symptoms) was performed as the primary outcome, and immunological and oxidative stress markers in saliva and serum were evaluated as secondary outcomes.

Results: In total, 198 participants completed the scheduled intake of the test samples, and five participants were excluded from the final analysis. Consequently, 193 participants (LG2055 group, n = 97; placebo group, n = 96) in the Per-Protocol Set were included in the efficacy analysis. The cumulative days of each symptom were evaluated, and the LG2055 group showed a significantly higher ratio of "without symptom" in runny nose, plugged nose, sneezing, sore throat, hoarseness, cough, headache, feeling tired, and fever than the placebo group, indicating that the incidence rates of common cold symptoms were lower in the LG2055 group. Additionally, changes in the salivary secretory IgA levels were significantly higher, and the serum derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites levels were significantly lower in the LG2055 group.

Conclusion: Our study revealed that intake of LG2055 decreased common cold symptoms and improved immune parameters in healthy adults. This suggests that LG2055 contributes to the maintenance of physical conditions by improving the host immune system.

Clinical trial registration: [https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index.htm], identifier [UMIN000045901].

Keywords: Lactobacillus paragasseri SBT2055; clinical study; common cold; oxidative stress; probiotics; salivary sIgA; subjective symptoms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

EK, TA, MK, and TK were employed by MEGMILK SNOW BRAND Co., Ltd. NS was employed by KSO Corporation. The remaining author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Schematic representation of the study protocol.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Flow of participants through each stage of this study. For the participants who got COVID-19 vaccination during the pre-observation and intake periods, a part of the data of daily physical health questionnaire survey was excluded.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Comparison of the amount of change from baseline of salivary sIgA concentration (Δsalivary sIgA). Data are shown as mean ± SD. *p < 0.05 according to the unpaired t-test (LG2055 group n = 96 or 97; placebo group n = 96).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Eccles R. Understanding the symptoms of the common cold and influenza. Lancet Infect Dis. (2005) 5:718–25. 10.1016/S1473-3099(05)70270-X - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mrityunjaya M, Pavithra V, Neelam R, Janhavi P, Halami P, Ravindra P. Immune-boosting, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory food supplements targeting pathogenesis of COVID-19. Front Immunol. (2020) 11:570122. 10.3389/fimmu.2020.570122 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Park M, Ngo V, Kwon Y, Lee Y, Yoo S, Cho Y, et al. Lactobacillus plantarum DK119 as a probiotic confers protection against influenza virus by modulating innate immunity. PLoS One. (2013) 8:e75368. 10.1371/journal.pone.0075368 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kawahara T, Takahashi T, Oishi K, Tanaka H, Masuda M, Takahashi S, et al. Consecutive oral administration of Bifidobacterium longum MM-2 improves the defense system against influenza virus infection by enhancing natural killer cell activity in a murine model. Microbiol Immunol. (2015) 59:1–12. 10.1111/1348-0421.12210 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Vitetta L, Coulson S, Beck S, Gramotnev H, Du S, Lewis S. The clinical efficacy of a bovine lactoferrin/whey protein Ig-rich fraction (Lf/IgF) for the common cold: a double blind randomized study. Complement Ther Med. (2013) 21:164–71. 10.1016/j.ctim.2012.12.006 - DOI - PubMed