title: Fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota reduces incidence of hard or lumpy stools in healthy population.
abstract: The objective of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) in a healthy population. Healthy subjects with Bristol Stool Form Scale (BS) score < 3.0 were randomized to fermented milk treatment for 3 weeks or non-intervention control. The primary endpoint was the proportion of subjects that produced hard or lumpy stools (HLS) ≥ 25% of bowel movements (H-HLS). Secondary endpoints included changes in BS score, constipation-related symptom scores and stool parameters. Efficacy was analyzed in 39 subjects. After 3 weeks of treatment the proportion of H-HLS subjects had significantly decreased from 73.7% to 36.8%, whereas in the control group the proportion had increased from 75.0% to 85.0% during the same period (P = 0.002). The BS score was significantly improved after the treatment compared with the control (P < 0.001). In conclusion, daily consumption of fermented milk containing LcS reduced the incidence of HLS.
authors.affiliation: Yakult Honsha European Research Center for Microbiology ESVZ, wijnaarde, Belgium. takafumi.sakai@yher.be
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oishi
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kushiro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003248:Constipation / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D043302:Cultured Milk Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces; D005260:Female; D005285:Fermentation; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007780:Lacticaseibacillus casei; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012016:Reference Values; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult