Enhancement
of Immunity in the Elderly by Dietary Supplementation with the Probiotic
Bifidobacterium lactis HN0191
Amer J Clin Nutrit
2001; 74 (6) Dec: 833–839
Harsharnjit S
Gill, Kay J Rutherfurd, Martin L Cross and Pramod K Gopal
From the Milk
& Health Research Centre, Massey University, New Zealand, and
the New Zealand Dairy Research Institute, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Background:
The aging process
can lead to a decline in cellular immunity. Therefore, the elderly
could benefit from safe and effective interventions that restore cellular
immune functions.
Objective:
We determined
whether dietary supplementation with the known immunostimulating probiotic
Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 could enhance aspects of cellular immunity
in elderly subjects.
Design:
Thirty healthy
elderly volunteers (age range: 63–84 y; median: 69 y) participated
in a 3-stage dietary supplementation trial lasting 9 wk. During stage
1 (run-in), subjects consumed low-fat milk (200 mL twice daily for
3 wk) as a base-diet control. During stage 2 (intervention), they
consumed milk supplemented with B. lactis HN019 in a typical dose
(5 x 1010 organisms/d) or a low dose (5 x 109 organisms/d) for 3 wk.
During stage 3 (washout), they consumed low-fat milk for 3 wk. Changes
in the relative proportions of leukocyte subsets and ex vivo leukocyte
phagocytic and tumor-cell-killing activity were determined longitudinally
by assaying peripheral blood samples.
Results:
Increases in
the proportions of total, helper (CD4+), and activated (CD25+) T lymphocytes
and natural killer cells were measured in the subjects' blood after
consumption of B. lactis HN019. The ex vivo phagocytic capacity of
mononuclear and polymorphonuclear phagocytes and the tumoricidal activity
of natural killer cells were also elevated after B. lactis HN019 consumption.
The greatest changes in immunity were found in subjects who had poor
pretreatment immune responses. In general, the 2 doses of B. lactis
HN019 had similar effectiveness.
Conclusion:
B. lactis HN019
could be an effective probiotic dietary supplement for enhancing some
aspects of cellular immunity in the elderly.
Articles
77
