(1) Yogurt may be a good alternative for the initial treatment of persistent
diarrhea. The beneficial effects of feeding yogurt were apparent within
48 hours in 67 +/- 8% of infants, confirming the clinical efficacy of substituting
yogurt for milk in young children with persistent diarrhea. Clinical treatment
failure (weight loss greater than 5% in one day or persistent diarrhea
after 5 days) was significantly less common in children fed yogurt (15
+/- 6%) than in children fed milk (45 +/- 8%).
In Pakistan, yogurt, along with rice-lentil mixture( khitchri ) is
considered traditional treatment of persistent diarrhea.
(2) Daily ingestion of 8 ounces of yogurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus decreased both vulvovaginal candidal colonization and infection. A threefold decrease in infections was seen when patients consumed yogurt. The mean (+/- SD) number of infections per 6 months was 2.54 +/- 1.66 in the control arm and 0.38 +/- 0.51 per 6 months in the yogurt arm (P = 0.001). Candidal colonization decreased from a mean of 3.23 +/- 2.17 per 6 months in the control arm to 0.84 +/- 0.90 per 6 months in the yogurt arm (P = 0.001). In a similar study, (3), bacterial vaginosis in pregnant women was treated with intravaginal application of yogurt( to minimize effects drugs might have on the fetus ). The result was favorable, indicating that continuous correction of vaginal pH and lactobacillus flora is crucial for normal vaginal ecology.
Calcium deficiency is well known in Crohn's patients, especially
those on steroids. Milk, and also yogurt are good sources of dietary calcium.
Studies also note that adequate amounts of vitamin D are necessary for
optimal calcium absorption and bone health( either through supplementation
or by laying in the sun when body produces its own vitamin D ).
(4) The effects of yogurt and acidophilus yogurt vs. regular chow on
weight gain, serum cholesterol, and fecal coliforms was studied in mice.
The weight gains of mice receiving yogurt or acidophilus yogurt were higher
than those of the mice in the control group. The mean values for serum
cholesterol concentrations and LDL cholesterol concentrations were
significantly decreased when acidophilus yogurt was fed on day 28 and 56,
and the number of fecal coliforms of that group was also lower than in
the other two groups.
(5) Calcium in milk products stimulates gastric acid secretion and inhibits the cytolytic activity of intestinal contents. Based on these effects, it was hypothesised that calcium might lessen the severity of food borne intestinal infections. Rats were infected orally with Salmonella enteritidis; faecal salmonella excretion declined rapidly in all high calcium groups( normal milk and pasteurised yoghurt), whereas rats fed the low calcium milk continued to excrete high numbers of salmonella. In conclusion, in addition to fermentation by yoghurt bacteria, calcium in milk products strongly enhanced the resistance to salmonella infection by lowering luminal cytolytic activity or diminishing the availability of iron for pathogen growth, or both.
(6) The effect of yogurt on the inhibition of colon tumours chemically induced in mice has been studied. After tumour induction, yogurt was given for 2, 5, 7 or 10 consecutive days each 10 d for 20 weeks. By week 20, 70% of the animals in the control group had developed colorectal tumours. However, in the test groups given yogurt tumour growth was inhibited, the effect being more evident with 7 or 10 d treatment. The inflammatory immune response as measured by the characteristics we assessed was also reduced, with an increase in the IgA-secreting cells and in CD4+ T lymphocytes. The blood count was similar to that of normal animals and no colorectal tumours were observed in week 20. We suggest that one of the mechanisms by which yogurt exerts antitumour activity is through its immunomodulator activity, by reducing the inflammatory immune response, which was markedly increased when the carcinogen was administered.
(7) The diets of 746 colon cancer cases in Los Angeles County, California
were compared with those of 746 controls matched on age, sex, race, and
neighborhood. In both genders, total energy intake was associated with
significantly increased risk, and calcium intake was associated
with significantly decreased risk. In univariate analyses, meats, poultry,
breads, and sweets were associated with excess risk, and yogurt was protective.
After adjustment for sources of calories, no individual food was associated
with excess risk, but yogurt remained significantly protective.
(8) The effect of oral bacteriotherapy with human Lactobacillus casei
strain GG (10(10) colony-forming units twice daily for 10 days) was investigated
in Crohn’s disease and in juvenile chronic arthritis which are chronic
inflammatory diseases associated with impaired mucosal barrier function.
During oral bacteriotherapy, the gut immune response was indirectly assessed
by solid-phase enzyme-linked immunoassay in 14 children with Crohn’s disease,
in 9 with juvenile chronic arthritis, and in 7 controls. The immunostimulatory
effect of Lactobacillus GG was specific for Crohn’s disease, irrespective
of its activity: the mean (95% confidence interval) number of specific
antibody secreting cells in the IgA class to beta-lactoglobulin increased
significantly from 0.2 (0.04-1.3) to 1.4 (0.3-6.0)/10(6) cells and to casein
from 0.3 (0.1-1.4) to 1.0 (0.2-4.8)/10(6) cells. The results indicate
that orally administered Lactobacillus GG has the potential to increase
the gut IgA immune response and thereby to promote the gut immunological
barrier. Consequently, Lactobacillus GG could provide an adjunct nutritional
therapy for Crohn’s disease.
References:
1. CLINICAL CONSEQUENCES OF REPLACING MILK WITH YOGURT IN PERSISTENT INFANTILE DIARRHEA Touhami M; Boudraa G; Mary JY; Soltana R; Desjeux JF; Service de Pédiatrie, Oran, Algérie. Ann Pediatr (Paris), 1992 Feb, 39:2, 79-86
2. INGESTION OF YOGURT CONTAINING LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS AS PROPHYLAXIS FOR CANDIDAL VAGINITIS Hilton E; Isenberg HD; Alperstein P; France K; Borenstein MT; Division of Infectious Diseases, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY 11042. Ann Intern Med, 1992 Mar 1, 116:5, 353-7
3. BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS IN PREGNANCY TREATED WITH YOGHURT. Neri A; Sabah G; Samra Z; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Beilinson Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, 1993 Jan, 72:1, 17-9
4. INFLUENCE OF YOGURT AND ACIDOPHILUS YOGURT ON SERUM CHOLESTEROL LEVELS
IN MICE.
Akalin AS; Gönç S; Düzel S; Department of Dairy Technology,
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Aegean, Bornova-Izmir, Turkey.
J Dairy Sci, 1997 Nov, 80:11, 2721-5
5. CALCIUM IN MILK AND FERMENTATION BY YOGHURT BACTERIA INCREASE THE RESISTANCE OF RATS TO SALMONELLA INFECTION. Bovee Oudenhoven I; Termont D; Dekker R; Van der Meer R; Department of Nutrition, Netherlands Institute for Dairy Research, Ede, The Netherlands. Gut, 1996 Jan, 38:1, 59-65
6. ANTITUMOUR ACTIVITY OF YOGURT: STUDY OF POSSIBLE IMMUNE MECHANISMS.
Perdigón G; Valdez JC; Rachid M; Instituto de MicrobiologÆia,
Facultad de BioquÆimica, QuÆimica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional
de TucumÆan, Argentina. J Dairy Res, 1998 Feb, 65:1, 129-38
7. DIET AND COLON CANCER IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
Peters RK; Pike MC; Garabrant D; Mack TM; Department of Preventive
Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles
90033-9987. Cancer Causes Control, 1992 Sep, 3:5, 457-73
8. PROMOTION OF IGA IMMUNE RESPONSE IN PATIENTS WITH CROHN’S DISEASE
BY ORAL BACTERIOTHERAPY WITH LACTOBACILLUS GG.
Malin M; Suomalainen H; Saxelin M; Isolauri E; Department of Paediatrics,
Tampere University Hospital, Finland. Ann Nutr Metab, 40(3):137-45
1996