A Fermented Milk with a Bifidobacterium Probiotic Strain DN-173 010 Shortened Oro-Fecal Gut Transit Time in Elderly

Abstract

Fermented milks have been proposed to modulate gut transit time. Reduction of long transit times may be of importance in decreasing susceptibility to some large bowel diseases. Objective : to assess the effect on gut transit time in free-living elderly of a regular consumption of the milk fermented by the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis DN-173 010 (108 CFU g) and lactic acid cultures (108 CFU g) (BM). Design : a randomized study was performed with 4 groups: 50 subjects with a stable transit time under 40 h (UTT: 24.6 h, SD =1.7) and 50 subjects with a stable transit time over or equal to 40 h (OTT: 64.1 h, SD =13.3) were included. Subjects from each transit group were randomly assigned to eat during 2 weeks, either 2 or 3 servings per day of BM. The oro-fecal transit time was measured before and after BM consumption using a colored marker technique. Results : in the 4 groups, comparing values before and after BM consumption, the transit time reductions were statistically significant, being around 10% in UTT and around 40% in OTT (p <0.001). In UTT as well as in OTT, 3BM were more active than 2BM (p <0.05). Conclusions : in elderly, the long gut transit times have been shortened by a 2-week regular consumption of the milk fermented with the strain Bifidobacterium animalis DN-173 010 and lactic cultures. This specific fermented milk can be considered as a functional food.