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