Bifidobacterium lactis

Bifidobacterium Lactis Clinical Report Summary

Bifidobacterium lactis is a beneficial microorganism that inhabits the human colon and creates a hostile environment against undesired organisms, boosts the immune system, helps the body digest lactic acid and protein, and regulates bowel motility.  For these reasons, B. lactis is used to treat lactose intolerance, constipation, colitis, eczema, diarrhea and enhance immune support.  It is interesting to note that the symbiotic relationship between person and bacterium begins within the first few days of infancy as researchers first isolated this probiotic in the feces of breast-fed infants.  It may be for this reason that some studies show how Bifidobacteria lactis, along with certain Lactobacilli, help reduce the symptoms of food allergies such as atopic eczema in children (1).  Bifidobacterium lactis is also considered a lactic acid bacterium, which means it is highly present in dairy products, particularly yogurt.  Certain studies support probiotic-rich foods by demonstrating how they can reduce ecological disturbances in the GI-tract by boosting immunity, or in enhancing cellular immunity in the elderly (2, 3, 4).  This augmented immunity by probiotics has also brought studies to consider how the bacteria may prevent constipation and diarrhea.  In one multicenter, double-blind, controlled study, researchers found that acidified formula milk supplemented with Bifidobacterium lactis had a protective effect against acute diarrhea in healthy children (5).  And even though many studies support the role of Bifidobacterium lactis in health studies, experts agree that all of the microorganism's benefits have yet to be fully understood.

Bifidobacterium Lactis Overview

Bifidobacterium lactis, often referred to as simply bifidobacteria, is considered a GI-friendly microorganism and is present in the human body from the first days of infancy.  Bifidobacteria are anaerobic, rod-shaped, gram-positive bacteria that are normally present in the gastrointestinal flora, and help maintain a healthy immune system by balancing out the body's response to pathogens (6).  In fact, different bacterial groups and levels are found throughout the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to colon. The stomach and the upper bowel are sparsely populated regions (10³-10⁴ CFU/g contents) while the colon is heavily populated (10¹¹-10¹² CFU/g contents). In the large intestine, genera such as Bacteriodes, Bifidobacterium, Eubacterium, Clostridium, Fusobacterium and Ruminococcus are usually found. This intestinal microbiota provides the most important contact with the environment for the host and a barrier against harmful food components and pathogenic bacteria (7, 8, 9).  In regards to Bifidobacterium lactis, it produces antimicrobial substances that have activity against many gram-positive and gram-negative organisms, which has a significant influence on the health and well-being of adults and children. There are many different strains of bifidobacteria, some of which have greater adherence to the intestinal lining of the GI tract than others.  In foods, bifidobacteria can be found in cultured yogurt and cheese, which means it produces lactic acid, an enzyme necessary to digest diary.  In supplemental form, it is often found in combination with Lactobacillus acidophilus, in both capsule and tablet form. 

Safe Use of Bifidobacterium Lactis

Some probiotic supplements require refrigeration, while others are shelf stable.  Products stating potency at time of manufacture are generally indicative of a higher quality supplement, ensuring maximum benefit.  Persons with an allergy or known hypersensitivity to any probiotic or probiotic-containing product should avoid bifidobacteria.  Women who are pregnant or nursing should also only use probiotic supplementation under the supervision of a medical professional. Probiotics should not be given to severely ill patients suffering from organ failure and on a feeding tube.  Increased mortality has been recognized in a small study of patients suffering from a severe form of acute pancreatitis.

Clinical Studies for Bifidobacterium Lactis

1. Bifidobacterium Lactis and Immune Enhancement

Enhancement of natural immune function by dietary consumption of bifidobacterium lactis.  Arunachalam K, Gill HS, Chandra RK.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of dietary consumption of Bifidobacterium lactis (strain HN019, DR10TM) on natural immunity. DESIGN: A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. SETTING: Janeway Medical Centre, Memorial University, St Johns, Newfoundland. SUBJECTS: Twenty-five healthy elderly volunteers (median age 69 y; range 60-83 y). INTERVENTIONS: Twelve control subjects consumed 180 ml low-fat/low-lactose milk twice daily for a period of 6 weeks; 13 test subjects consumed milk supplemented with 1.5x1011 colony-forming units of B. lactis twice daily. Indices of natural immunity, including interferon production, phagocytic capacity and phagocyte-mediated bactericidal activity, were determined via peripheral blood at 0, 3, 6 and 12 weeks post-trial commencement. RESULTS: Subjects who consumed milk containing B. lactis for 6 weeks produced significantly enhanced levels of interferon-alpha, upon stimulation of their peripheral blood mononuclear cells in culture, in comparison to the placebo control group who received milk alone. There were also significant increases in polymorphonuclear cell phagocytic capacity among test group subjects, following consumption of milk supplemented with B. lactis, while individuals who consumed B. lactis-supplemented milk or milk alone showed enhanced phagocyte-mediated bactericidal activity. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that dietary consumption of B. lactis HN019 can enhance natural immunity in healthy elderly subjects, and that a relatively short-term dietary regime (6 weeks) is sufficient to impart measurable improvements in immunity that may offer significant health benefits to consumers. SPONSORS: Financial support for this project was provided by the New Zealand Dairy Board.

Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus F19 prevent antibiotic-associated ecological disturbances of Bacteroides fragilis in the intestine. Sullivan A, Barkholt L, Nord, CE.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the effect of clindamycin on the intestinal microflora in subjects ingesting yogurt with added probiotic microorganisms with the microflora in subjects ingesting placebo yogurt. Materials and methods: Twenty-four healthy subjects were included in the study. All subjects received 150 mg clindamycin four times daily for 7 days and 250 mL yogurt twice daily for 14 days. Faecal samples were collected before, during and after administration of clindamycin. Results: In the aerobic intestinal microflora, the numbers of enterococci increased after treatment in both groups, whereas other Gram-positive microorganisms decreased. In both groups, the numbers of Escherichia coli also decreased, whereas there was a concomitant increase in numbers of other Gram-negative bacilli. In the anaerobic microflora in subjects receiving yogurt with added microorganisms, the numbers of lactobacilli and bacteroides remained at the same levels throughout the study, whereas the numbers decreased in the placebo group. Other anaerobic bacteria decreased in both groups. The minimum inhibitory concentration of clindamycin against strains of bacteroides increased in both groups during the study. Conclusions: Bacteroides fragilis group species during clindamycin administration. The probiotic microorganisms evaluated in this study prevented ecological disturbances in the numbers of intestinal

2. Bifidobacterium Lactis and Bowel Motility

Acidified milk formula supplemented with bifidobacterium lactis: impact on infant diarrhea in residential care settings. Chouraqui JP, Van Egroo LD, Fichot MC.

OBJECTIVES: Probiotics may be useful in preventing acute infectious diarrhea. Bifidobacteria are particularly attractive as probiotics agent because they constitute the predominant colonic flora of breastfed infants and are thought to play a role in the decreased incidence of diarrhea in breastfed infants. METHODS: This was a multicenter, double-blind, controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of a milk formula supplemented with viable Bifidobacterium lactis strain Bb 12 (BbF) in the prevention of acute diarrhea in infants younger than 8 months living in residential nurseries or foster care centers. RESULTS: Ninety healthy children received either the BbF or a conventional formula (CF) daily. The mean duration of the stay in the residential center was similar (137 v 148 days). At enrollment, there were no differences between the two groups with respect to age (3.7 +/- 2.1 months), gender, anthropometric data, history of allergy or gastrointestinal disease, frequency of breast-feeding in the neonatal period or timing of introduction of solid food. Altogether, 28.3% of the BbF infants had diarrhea during the study compared with 38.7% of controls (NS). There was a statistically insignificant trend for shorter episodes of diarrhea in the BbF group (5.1 +/- 3.3 days v 7 +/- 5.5 days, NS). The number of days with diarrhea was 1.15 +/- 2.5 in the BbF group with a daily probability of diarrhea of 0.84 versus 2.3 +/- 4.5 days and 1.55, respectively, in the CF group (P = 0.0002 and 0.0014). Feeding infants with the BbF reduced their risk of getting diarrhea by a factor of 1.9 (range, 1.33-2.6). Analysis of the cumulative incidence of diarrheal episodes showed a trend that the first onset of diarrhea occurred later in the BbF group. CONCLUSION: These results provide some evidence that viable Bifidobacterium lactis strain Bb 12, added to an acidified infant formula, has some protective effect against acute diarrhea in healthy children.

3. Bifidobacterium and Digestive Health

Aberrant composition of gut microbiota of allergic infants: a target of bifidobacterial therapy at weaning? Kirjavainen PV, Arvola T, Salminen SJ, Isolauri E. (10)

Background: Recent data have outlined a relationship between the composition of the intestinal microflora and allergic inflammation, and demonstrated the competence of probiotics in downregulation of such inflammation. Aims: Our aims were to characterise the relationship between gut microbes and the extent of allergic sensitisation and to assess whether the efficacy of bifidobacterial supplementation in the treatment of allergy could relate to modulation of the intestinal microbiota. Methods: This randomised study included 21 infants with early onset atopic eczema of whom eight were intolerant (highly sensitised group (HSG)) and 13 tolerant (sensitised group (SG)) to extensively hydrolysed whey formula (EHF). In the SG, six were weaned to EHF without (placebo group (PG)) and seven to EHF with Bifidobacterium lactis Bb-12 supplementation (bifidobacteria treated group (BbG)). The faecal microflora of infants in the HSG was analysed only before weaning whereas in the SG the faecal microflora was analysed both before and after weaning. Results: Infants in the HSG had greater numbers of lactobacilli/enterococci than those in the SG. Serum total IgE concentration correlated directly with Escherichia coli counts in all infants and with bacteroides counts in the HSG, indicating that the presence of these bacteria is associated with the extent of atopic sensitisation. The effect of supplementation was characterised as a decrease in the numbers of Escherichia coli and protection against an increase in bacteroides numbers during weaning. Conclusions: These data indicate that bifidobacterial supplementation appears to modify the gut microbiota in a manner that may alleviate allergic inflammation. Further studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.

Bifidobacterium Lactis References

1. "Probiotics". PDR Health.com. Accessed: Sept. 26, 2007. < http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/pro_0034.shtml>
2. Arunachalam K, Gill HS, Chandra RK. Enhancement of natural immune function by dietary consumption of bifidobacterium lactis. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2000; 54:263-267.
3. Sullivan A, Barkholt L, Nord, CE. Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus F19 prevent antibiotic-associated ecological disturbances of Bacteroides fragilis in the intestine. J Antimicrobial Chemotheraphy 2003; 52: 308-311.
4. Gill HS, Rutherfurd KJ, Cross ML, Gopal PK. Enhancement of immunity in the elderly by dietary supplementation with the probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis HN019. Am J Clin Nutr 2001 Dec;74(6):833-9.
5. Chouraqui JP, Van Egroo LD, Fichot MC. Acidified milk formula supplemented with bifidobacterium lactis: impact on infant diarrhea in residential care settings. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutri. 2004 Mar; 38 (3): 288-92.
6. Lievin V., Peiffer I., Hudault S., et al. Bifidobacterium strains from resident infant human gastrointestinal microflora exert antimicrobial activity. Gut 2000;47:646-52.
7. Gueimonde, M., Ouwehand, A., Huhtinen, Heikki., Salminen, E., Salminen, S. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the bifidobacterial microbiota in the colonic mucosa of patients with colorectal cancer, diverticulitis and inflammatory bowel disease. World J Gastroenterol. 2007 August 7;13(29): 3985-3989.
8. Gronlund MM, Arvilommi H, Kero P, Lehtonen OP, Isolauri E. Importance of intestinal colonisation in the maturation of humoral immunity in early infancy: a prospective follow up study of healthy infants aged 0-6 months. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2000; 83: F186-F192.
9. Kirjavainen PV, Apostolou E, Arvola T, Salminen SJ, Gibson GR, Isolauri E. Characterizing the composition of intestinal microflora as a prospective treatment target in infant allergic disease. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 2001;32: 1-7.
10. Kirjavainen PV, Arvola T, Salminen SJ, Isolauri E. Aberrant composition of gut microbiota of allergic infants: a target of bifidobacterial therapy at weaning? Gut. 2002 July; 51 (1): 51-55.