A study conducted at the Department of Public Health and Department of Immunology at the Jutendo University School of Medicine, Japan, sought to study the effects of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) on the immune system of healthy human beings.
INTRODUCTION
A study conducted at the Department of Public Health and Department of Immunology at the Jutendo University School of Medicine, Japan, sought to study the effects of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) on the immune system of healthy human beings. The lactic acid bacteria are commonly found in fermented milk drinks and are known to have both nutritional and flavouring effects on the drinks. In this study, their natural killer (NK) cell activity and other immunological functions were measured in nine healthy volunteers. Each of these volunteers drank fermented milk containing 4 X 1010 live cells of L. casei strain Shirota daily for three weeks. The results showed that NK activity increased significantly 3 weeks after the start of intake and remained elevated for the next three weeks. It also showed a particularly prominent increase in individuals with low NK activity.
L. CASEI STRAIN SHIROTA
This story is from the August 2017 edition of BBC Earth.
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This story is from the August 2017 edition of BBC Earth.
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