Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota* (LcS) on the incidence of constipation, diarrhea, acute respiratory infections (ARI), and nutritional status of young Vietnamese children.

Methods: A controlled field trial was conducted with 1,003 children (3-5 years old) in Thanh Hoa province in Vietnam. The probiotic group (n=510) consumed fermented milk 65 mL/day containing 108 CFU/mL of LcS for the 12-week intervention period, whereas the control group (n=493) was not given any. The incidence of constipation, diarrhea, ARI, and anthropometry in children was determined at baseline, after 4, 8, and 12-week intervention, and after the 4-week follow-up period.

Results: Probiotic drink decreased the incidence of constipation after the 12-week intervention period (12.0% vs 32.0%, OR = 0.28 (95%CI: 0.21-0.40), p<0.001), tended to decrease the incidence of diarrhea (4.9% vs. 7.9%, OR = 0.60 (95%CI: 0.35-1.01), p = 0.068), and prevented the occurrence of ARI (15.9% vs. 24.5%, OR = 0.58 (95%CI: 0.42-0.79), p<0.001), when compared with the control group. In contrast, no probiotic effects were observed for the duration of diarrhea or ARI. Weight gain was higher in the probiotic group than in the control group after 4, 8, and 12-week intervention and after the 4-week follow-up period (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Daily intake of fermented milk containing LcS strongly prevented the incidence of constipation and ARI in Vietnamese children. This study also revealed the potential effects of the use of a probiotic drink on diarrhea prevention as well as nutritional status improvement.

* Reclassified as Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota in April 2020.

Background: Growing evidence suggested that Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. Microbial therapy may be a useful approach for the treatment of PD. However, comprehensive analyses of the impact of probiotic supplementation on motor and nonmotor symptoms are still lacking and the mechanisms remain unclear.
Methods: We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in PD patients with constipation to investigate Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota* (LcS), supplementation on clinical responses, gut microbiota and faecal metabolites. Patients (n = 128) were randomised to receive either probiotics (LcS-fermented milk, containing 1×1010 living LcS cells) or placebo daily 100 mL for 12 weeks.
Results: We found that LcS intervention significantly alleviated patients’ constipation-related symptoms and nonmotor symptoms. There were also significant differences in the relative abundance of different taxa ranging from phylum to genus levels between the groups, especially regarding LcS intake, which increased the abundance of genus Lacticaseibacillus compared with those at baseline and in the placebo group. The faecal concentration of L-tyrosine was significantly decreased, and plasma concentration of L-tyrosine was increased in the probiotic group compared with the placebo group. Furthermore, we detected a negative correlation between the change in faecal and plasma concentrations of L-tyrosine in the probiotic group.
Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that supplementation with LcS may effective in managing constipation and other nonmotor symptoms for PD patients. The effects may be derived from mechanisms associated with a modulation of gut microbiota and faecal metabolomic profiles.

* Formerly Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota.

The world’s population is aging along with the growing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), that are the leading cause of death around the globe, and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s diseases (PD). Most CVDs, that are more frequent in low- and middle-income countries, can be prevented by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables and reducing the consumption of excess salt (1). Healthy diets not only have a lower impact in the environment but also a lower social burden making them more sustainable (2). The WHO recommends consuming less than 5 g of salt (2 g of sodium) per day, however the challenge of lowering the salt content is that foods lose palatability (3). Among PD patients, one of the earlier signs of the diseases is the loss of olfactory and taste function (dysgeusia), including umami (4). In this seminar, speakers will share evidence showing that the umami seasoning monosodium glutamate (MSG) can compensate the lack of palatability caused by lower salt as a solution to reduced salt intake (5). You will hear as well how dysgeusia can lead to poorer appetite and the need to add more seasonings to foods in PD patients (4). Participants will learn that the use of new low-Na high-K foods aimed at lowering blood pressure in free-living settings may be feasible and effective (6), and that they are being used to improve the food environment. Overall, in CVDs and in neurological disorders becomes important to season appropriately nutritious and healthy foods not only to curve down the intake of salt but also to prevent all forms of malnutrition.

References:

1. WHO. Healthy Diet 2020 [cited 2022 12 July]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet.
2. Clark M, Springmann M, Hill J, Tilman D. Multiple health and environmental impacts of foods. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019;116(46):23357-62.
3. WHO. WHO global sodium benchmarks for different food categories. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. ed. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021.
4. Jagota P, Chotechuang N, Anan C, Kitjawijit T, Boonla C, Bhidayasiri R. Umami and Other Taste Perceptions in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease. J Mov Disord. 2022;15(2):115-23.
5. Hayabuchi H, Morita R, Ohta M, Nanri A, Matsumoto H, Fujitani S, et al. Validation of preferred salt concentration in soup based on a randomized blinded experiment in multiple regions in Japan-influence of umami (L-glutamate) on saltiness and palatability of low-salt solutions. Hypertens Res. 2020;43(6):525-33.
6. Umeki Y, Hayabuchi H, Adachi H, Ohta M. Feasibility of Low-Sodium, High-Potassium Processed Foods and Their Effect on Blood Pressure in Free-Living Japanese Men: A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2021;13(10):3497.