title: Effects of intake of pickles containing Lactobacillus brevis on immune activity and bowel symptoms in female students.
abstract: Forty-four female students with a tendency for constipation (mean age, 20.2±3.3 y) were asked to consume 30 g test pickles daily for 2 wk and were divided into 3 groups: viable-cell intake subjects (n=14, 3.0×10⁵ colony-forming units of viable LAB (lactic acid bacteria) cells per sample), dead-cells intake subjects (n=15, viable cells were heat sterilized), and placebo-intake subjects (n=15, LAB removed from the pickles). γ-Aminobutyric acid content of 75.1±3.2 mg per sample was noted, with no marked difference between samples containing viable and dead cells. Natural killer (NK)-cell activity (% specific lysis) in serum from dead-cell intake subjects was 37.5±17.0% before the start of the test-food intake and 47.7±20.1% after intake, indicating statistically significant effects (p<0.01). However, viable-cell intake and placebo intake subjects showed no statistically significant difference. The number of days with bowel movements significantly increased from 3.8±1.5 to 4.9±1.8 d in the dead-cell intake group, whereas a slight change from 4.6±1.5 to 5.1±1.7 d was observed in the viable-cell intake group. Additionally, the feeling of incomplete evacuation fell and a refreshed feeling increased among the subjects with constipation. Thus, marked enhancement of NK-cell activity and improved bowel symptoms were observed in subjects consuming pickles containing dead LAB cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioenvironmental Science, Kyoto Gakuen University.
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takii
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Syumi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshida-Yamamoto
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nagayoshi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003248:Constipation / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D057141:Food, Preserved / Q000382:microbiology*; D055951:Functional Food / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D056747:Immunomodulation; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007564:Japan; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D052196:Levilactobacillus brevis / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D050296:Microbial Viability; D009812:Odorants; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013242:Sterilization; D014675:Vegetables / Q000382:microbiology*; D055815:Young Adult; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid