title: Effects of a Formula Containing Two Types of Prebiotics, Bifidogenic Growth Stimulator and Galacto-oligosaccharide, and Fermented Milk Products on Intestinal Microbiota and Antibody Response to Influenza Vaccine in Elderly Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: We investigated the effect of a formula containing two different prebiotics (bifidogenic growth stimulator and galacto-oligosaccharide) and fermented milk products on intestinal microbiota and antibody responses to an influenza vaccine in enterally fed elderly in-patients. Patients were administered either formula containing prebiotics and fermented milk products (group F: n = 12, 79.9 ± 9.5 years old) or standard formula (group C: n = 12, 80.7 ± 10.1 years old) via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy during a 14-week intervention period. Subjects were immunized with an influenza vaccine (A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and B) at week 4 of the intervention. Blood biochemical indices, intestinal bacteria populations and antibody titers were analyzed. Bifidobacterium counts increased significantly in group F compared with group C. The enhanced antibody titers against A/H1N1 were maintained in group F for a longer period compared with group C. The titers against A/H3N2 were unchanged between both groups, and those against B were significantly lower in group F than in group C, although few subjects had seroprotective titers against A/H3N2 and B. These results suggest that administration of the formula containing prebiotics and fermented milk products may maintain antibody titers for longer periods through the improvement of intestinal microbiota.
authors.affiliation: Food Science Research Labs., R&D Division, Meiji Co., Ltd., Odawara, Kanagawa 250-0862, Japan. shinya.nagafuchi@meiji.com.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagafuchi
authors.affiliation: Food Science Research Labs., R&D Division, Meiji Co., Ltd., Odawara, Kanagawa 250-0862, Japan. taketo.yamaji@meiji.com.
authors.forename: Taketo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaji
authors.affiliation: Food Science Research Labs., R&D Division, Meiji Co., Ltd., Odawara, Kanagawa 250-0862, Japan. akihiro.kawashima@meiji.com.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.affiliation: Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8124, Japan. ytoyama@chojuken.net.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Food Science Research Labs., R&D Division, Meiji Co., Ltd., Odawara, Kanagawa 250-0862, Japan. takeshi.takahashi@meiji.com.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8124, Japan. ta_yamamoto@fukushimura.net.
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanism of Aging, Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi 474-8522, Japan. michan@ncgg.go.jp.
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.affiliation: Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8124, Japan. akatu@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp.|Department of Mechanism of Aging, Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi 474-8522, Japan. akatu@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp.|Department of Medicine for Aging in Place and Community-Based Medical Education, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8601, Japan. akatu@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akatsu
keywords: Bifidobacterium; enterally fed patients; hemagglutination inhibition test; seroprotective rate