Probiotic Supplementation found to Strengthen Immune Response in Pneumonia Patients.

An Argentinean study published in the June Journal of Nutrition (135, 6:1462-1469, 2005) found that supplemental Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) inhibited Streptococcus pneumoniae, a respiratory infection, in malnourished mice.

Young mice were made malnourished by being fed a protein-free diet for 21 days. Subsequently the animals were divided into groups and fed a balanced diet either with or without supplemental L. casei for 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days or the balanced diet for 7 days with L. casei supplementation given only on the 6th and 7th days. Two additional groups served as controls: malnourished controls were fed only the protein-free diet throughout and well-nourished controls were fed a balanced diet throughout. All animals were challenged with S. pneumoniae at the end of their respective test periods.

Researchers reported the following results: (1) Lung colonization with the S. pneumoniae bacteria was significantly greater in malnourished controls than in well-nourished controls. (2) Restoration of a strong immune response was found in the malnourished mice that were fed the balanced diet without L. casei for 21 days. (3) Supplementation with L. casei reduced the time required for restoration of a strong immune response from 21 to 7 days. (4) Animals fed the balanced diet with L. casei on only the 6th and 7th days experienced better pathogen removal from blood and significantly less lung damage than the malnourished controls.

The researchers concluded that the addition of L. casei to the diet of immune deficient / malnourished mice significantly accelerated the recovery of their innate immune response against the S. pneumoniae respiratory infection.

Probiotics are known to promote health in a number of ways. They help acidify the colon to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. This study demonstrates that they support the production of immune cells and healthy immune function.

Bio-Design Probio-8 is a probiotic supplement that contains eight strains of beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus casei.