Brief Report
The effect of fermented yogurt on the prevention of diarrhea in a healthy adult population

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2004.11.001Get rights and content

Background

Probiotic dairy products are increasingly gaining popularity. Although the role of probiotic bacteria in the prevention and treatment of pediatric and antibiotic associated diarrhea is fairly well established, their role in the prevention of adult infectious diarrhea has not been well investigated.

Methods

Five hundred forty-one, young male military recruits were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive a yogurt containing Lactobacillus casei (n = 275) or a nonprobiotic yogurt (n = 266). The incidence and duration of diarrhea were documented and stool samples examined for bacteria and parasites.

Results

Five hundred and two participants were eligible for final analysis, 254 receiving probiotic yogurt and 248 in the control group. Seventy-one participants (14.14%) experienced diarrhea during the study period. The incidence of diarrhea in the probiotic group and the control group was 12.2% and 16.1%, respectively (P = .207). The mean duration of diarrhea was 3 ± 1.95 days in the probiotic group and 2.6 ± 1.08 days in the control group (P = .276).

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated a nonsignificant trend for reduction of the incidence of diarrhea among healthy young adults consuming yogurt containing Lactobacillus casei. Further study is needed to evaluate the role of probiotics in adults.

Section snippets

Population

The participants in the study were healthy military recruits, residing in a single camp with similar sanitary facilities and sharing the same diet from a common kitchen. All participants were medically examined as part of their military recruitment process and were found healthy in all aspects. The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Written informed consent was obtained from every participant.

Materials

The probiotic yogurt is a commercially manufactured

Results

Five hundred forty-one male soldiers participated in the study. Two hundred seventy-five received the probiotic yogurt, and 266 received the nonprobiotic yogurt. The average age in both groups was 18.5 years. There were 21 (7.63%) dropouts in the probiotic group and 18 (6.77%) dropouts in the nonprobiotic group, leaving 502 participants eligible for final analysis. The dropouts were recruits who were transferred to other army units and not because of medical reasons.

The main outcome measures

Discussion

The consumption of fermented yogurt containing L casei has demonstrated a trend for reduction of the incidence of diarrhea among healthy adults in our study. It failed to reduce the duration or modify clinical manifestations of the diarrheal episodes.

Our study provided a rare opportunity to examine the effects of a probiotic milk product in a unique setting of a healthy young population sharing the same living conditions and eating the same diet. It also allowed very close monitoring of the

References (22)

  • K.C. Hyams et al.

    Diarrheal disease during operation Desert Shield

    N Engl J Med

    (1991)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text