title: Beneficial effects of probiotic bifidobacterium and galacto-oligosaccharide in patients with ulcerative colitis: a randomized controlled study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In previous studies, we described the beneficial effects of bifidobacteria-fermented milk in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Here, we examined the effects of a live Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult, a probiotic contained in bifidobacteria-fermented milk, and galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) as synbiotics in UC patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one patients with mild to moderate UC were assigned to two groups; one group was treated with the synbiotics and the other was not (control). The treatment group ingested 1 g of the probiotic powder (10(9) CFU/g) three times a day, and 5.5 g of GOS once a day for one year. At the start and the end of this study, colonoscopic index and the amount of myeloperoxidase in a lavage solution were used as disease activity indices. Bacterial counts in the feces at the start and the end of this study were also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a one-year treatment with the synbiotics, the clinical status of the UC patients as assessed by colonoscopy, significantly improved. Furthermore, the amount of myeloperoxidase in the lavage also decreased in these patients after the synbiotic treatment. The synbiotics significantly reduced the fecal counts of Bacteroidaceae and fecal pH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Administration of live B. breve strain Yakult and GOS can improve the clinical condition of patients with UC. These results encouraged us to perform a large-scale randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular-Targeting Cancer Prevention, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. cancer@gol.com
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.forename: Akemi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Imaoka
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Setoyama
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Umesaki
authors.forename: Ryuichiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Otani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001644:Bifidobacterium; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000382:microbiology; D003113:Colonoscopy; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000032:analysis; D056692:Prebiotics; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D058616:Synbiotics
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D056692:Prebiotics; D009195:Peroxidase