TITLE:
Effect of Daily Consumption of Lactobacillus reuteri CRL 1098 on Cholesterol Reduction in Hypercholesterolemic Subjects
AUTHORS:
Agustina Malpeli, María Pía Taranto, Ricardo C. Cravero, Marina Tavella, Victoria Fasano, Dimas Vicentin, Guillermina Ferrari, Graciano Magrini, Elvira Hébert, Graciela Font de Valdez, Ana M. Varea, Julio M. Tavella, Horacio F. González
KEYWORDS:
Lactobacillus reuteri, Hypercholesterolemia, Cardiovascular Risk, Probiotics, Functional Foods
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.6 No.17,
December
23,
2015
ABSTRACT: The effect of daily consumption of a yogurt containing Lactobacillus reuteri CRL 1098 on the lipid profile of hypercholesterolemic subjects was evaluated by performing a prospective, randomized, double-blind, cross-over placebo controlled clinical study. Participants consumed daily a yogurt containing L. reuteri CRL 1098 or a placebo for four weeks, separated by a wash-out period. Total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, high-density (HDL) and low-density (LDL) lipoprotein levels were assessed at the beginning and at the end of each period. We found a statistically significant reduction of total (–7.86 g/dl) and LDL (–7.02 g/dl) cholesterol in absolute changes (before-after) as well as a decreasing trend in the group receiving the yogurt containing L. reuteri with respect to the placebo group, without detecting changes in HDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels. Our results suggest that low amounts of yogurt (125 g/day) and low doses of the CRL 1098 strain (106 CFU) are sufficient to reduce total and LDL-cholesterol levels in hypercholesterolemic subjects.