Probiotics and their benefits

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Table 1. A selection of probiotic strains fulfilling the FAO/WHO Guidelines (as

can be determined from known peer-reviewed literature)

Strain

(company licensed to sell the organism)

An example of clinical evidence showing

probiotic effect

Lactobacillus casei Shirota (Yakult, Japan) Improvement in treatment of

constipation (Koebnick et al., 2003).

L. casei DN114 001 (Danone, France) Reduced duration of winter infections in

elderly subjects (Turchet et al., 2003).

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (Valio, Finland) Various benefits including improved

treatment of diarrhea and management of atopy

(Szajewska et al., 2001; Kirjavainen et al., 2003).

L. rhamnosus HN001 (Danisco, Denmark) Enhanced immunity in the elderly, as

measured by in vitro phagocytic capacity of peripheral

blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes and tumoricidal activity of natural killer

cells, following

3 weeks intake of probiotic (Sheih et al., 2001).

L. rhamnosus 19070-2 and Lactobacillus reuteri

DSM 12246 (Chr. Hansen, Denmark)

Reduction in acute diarrhea in children following twice daily treatment

(Rosenfeldt et al., 2002).

L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14

(Chr. Hansen, Denmark)

Reduction in, and better treatment of, urogenital infections in women taking

oral

lactobacilli daily for 2 months (Reid et al., 2004).

L. reuteri ATCC 55730 (BioGaia, Sweden) For treatment of diarrhea and to produce

CD4-positive T-lymphocytes in the ileal epithelium

(Valeur et al., 2004).

Lactobacillus plantarum 299V (Probi, Sweden) Decreased incidence of infections

in liver transplant patients (Rayes et al., 2002).

Lactobacillus acidophilus La5

(Chr. Hansen, Denmark)

Suppression of Helicobacter pylori with use of La5 and B. lactis BB12 yogurt

given twice daily

after a meal for 6 wks (Wang et al., 2004).

L. acidophilus L1 (Campina Melkunie, Holland) Fermented milk containing this

organism was found to lower serum cholesterol – this would

translate to 6–10% reduction in risk for coronary heart disease ( &

Gilliland, 1999)

Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 (Nestle, Switzerland) A moderate but significant

difference in H. pylori colonization was detected in children receiving

live La1 (Cruchet et al., 2003).

Lactobacillus paracasei LP-33 Effectively and safely improved the quality of

life of patients with allergic rhinitis

(Uni-President Enterprise Corp., Tainan, Taiwan) (Wang et al., 2004b).

Lactobacillus brevis CD2 (VSL Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,

Fort Lauderdale, FL).

Decreases Helicobacter pylori colonization, thus reducing polyamine biosynthesis

(Linsalata et al., 2004).

Lactobacillus gasseri OLL 2716 (Meiji Milk Products,

Tokyo, Japan).

Yogurt containing this organism suppressed H. pylori and reduced gastric mucosal

inflammation

(Sakamoto et al., 2001).

VSL#3 (VSL Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Fort

Lauderdale, FL).

Effective for the management of remission of pouchitis and colitis (Mimura et

al., 2004).

Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii lyo

(Biocodex, France)

250mg treatment for 5 days reduced the duration of acute diarrhea and the

duration of

hospital stay (Kurugol & Koturoglu, 2005).

Bifobacterium animalis/lactis BB12 (Chr. Hansen,

Denmark/Nestle, Switzerland)

Various effects including prevention and treatment of diarrhea (Weizman et al.,

2005)

B. animalis/lactis DN-173 010 (Danone, France) Two to three servings per day

helps with regularity (Marteau et al., 2002).

Bifidobacterium longum BL1 (Morinaga, Japan) 3100mL per day low-fat drinking

yogurt prepared with the two starter cultures plus

B. longum BL1 resulted in some evidence of lower serum cholesterol (Xiao et al.,

2003).

Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 The ex vivo phagocytic capacity of mononuclear and

polymorphonuclear phagocytes and

the tumoricidal activity of natural killer cells were elevated (Gill et al.,

2001)

Bifobacterium infantis 35624 (Ardeypharm,

Germany)

Taken in a malted milk drink for 8 weeks, shown to relieve abdominal

pain/discomfort,

bloating/distention, and bowel movement difficulty (O’Mahony et al., 2005).

Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 Possible use in treatment of colitis (Tromm et al.,

2004).

Product is classified Saccharomyces boulardii lyo but the microbiol

classification is currently considered invalid and should be Saccharomyces