Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Lactobacilli
Enterobacteriaceae
8.0
9.0
8.0
7.5
7.0
7.0
6.0
6.5
5.0
6.0
Bifidobacteria
Lechithinase-positive Clostridia
10.0
6.0
9.0
5.0
8.0
4.0
7.0
3.0
6.0
2.0
Before After 1 week After 2 weeks
Before After 1 week After 2 weeks
Figure 9.3
Change of the intestinal flora in healthy elderly people by drinking a fermented
beverage containing
L. casei
shirota and transgalactosylated oligosaccharides
.
Healthy elderly subjects were administered a fermented milk drink beverage (gray
circles) or placebo (black circles) once a day for 2 weeks. before and after intake
of a fermented drink or placebo, feces were collected and the number of each
bacterium was measured. (from shioiri, t. et al.,
Biosci. Microflora,
25, 137-146,
2006. With permission.
5
)
L. casei
Shirota group were significantly lower than those of the placebo group
(Figure 9.3).
These results suggest that
L. casei
Shirota reached the intestines alive in both the
Japanese and European subjects, and modified the composition of the intestinal flora.
9.2.2 suppression of the Intestinal Production and
Accumulation of Putrefactive substances
Proteins we ingest are degraded by intestinal bacteria into potentially toxic
metabolites, such as ammonia, and phenolic compounds, such as
p
-cresol. These
metabolites cause intestinal putrefaction and are related to the pathogenesis of cer-
tain diseases. It has also been shown that these metabolites undergo further hepatic
transformation, and their metabolites are then excreted in the urine.
To evaluate the effect of ingestion of
L . casei
Sh i rota on intestinal l put refaction, a ra n-
domized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study was conducted on 19 healthy European
subjects. Healthy volunteers were administered a probiotic beverage containing 6.5 ×
10
9
cells of
L. casei
Shirota or placebo drink for 2 weeks twice daily.
6
By ingesting
L.
casei
Shirota, the urinary excretion of
15
N, which is a biomarker of NH
3
, and
p
-[
2
H
4
]
cresol, were significantly lower compared with ingestion of placebo (Figure 9.4).
