Effect of a probiotic fermented milk supplementation on behavior and sleep.

This study attempted to analyze the effect of supplementing Wistar-Kyoto rats with fermented milk containing the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis BB-12 and pomegranate juice on the microbiota-gut-brain axis of rats, with special focus on their behavior, sleep patterns, and response to stress. This study was divided into two experiments: (1) For the behavioral analysis the animals were divided into two groups: Fermented probiotic milk (BB + 1) and control (BB-). (2) For the sleep analysis the animals were divided into two groups: Fermented probiotic milk (BB + 2) and control (H2O). For the behavioral analysis, the open field method was used, which evaluates the behavior after ten, twenty, and thirty days of supplementation. For sleep analysis, the animals were submitted to implantation of electrodes and 24 h polysomnography, followed by 48 h sleep deprivation (REM) and 48 h polysomnography, then euthanized 100 days after the beginning of the experiment. In addition, animal feces were collected before and after sleep deprivation to assess its effects on the microbiota. A decrease in anxiety-related behaviors was observed in the supplemented animals and an increase in sleep efficiency and a reduction in the number of awakenings of the animals before deprivation. It has also been observed that sleep deprivation decreased the amount of total bacterial DNA. The number of copies of genomes of the genus Bifidobacterium did not differ in both groups.

Immune status, well-being and gut microbiota in military supplemented with synbiotic ice cream and submitted to field training: a randomised clinical trial.

Strenuous physical activity, sleep deprivation and psychological stress are common features of military field training. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementation with a synbiotic ice cream on salivary IgA, gastrointestinal symptoms, well-being indicators and gut microbiota in young military participants undergoing field training. Sixty-five military completed the study: one group was supplemented for 30 d with synbiotic ice cream containing: 2·1 × 108 CFU/g for Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and 2·7 × 109 CFU/g for Bifidobacterium animalis BB-12 and 2·3 g of inulin in the 60 g of ice cream at manufacture, and the other with a placebo ice cream. Volunteers were evaluated at pre-supplementation (baseline), post-supplementation and after a 5-d military training. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genera were measured in stool samples and both showed a higher differential abundance post-supplementation and training. Salivary IgA and gastrointestinal symptoms decreased at post-training in both groups (P < 0·05; main effect of time); however, supplementation with synbiotic did not mitigate this effect. Tenseness and sleepiness were decreased in the synbiotic-treated group, but not in the placebo group at post-military training (P = 0·01 and 0·009, respectively; group × time effect). The other well-being indicators were not affected by the synbiotic supplementation. In conclusion, 30 d of synbiotic ice cream supplementation containing inulin, L. acidophilus LA-5 and B. animalis BB-12 favourably modulated gut microbiota and improved tenseness and sleepiness in healthy young military undergoing a 5-d field training. These improvements may be relevant to this population as they may influence the decision-making process in an environment of high physical and psychological stress.

Potential contribution of beneficial microbes to face the COVID-19 pandemic.

The year 2020 will be remembered by a never before seen, at least by our generation, global pandemic of COVID-19. While a desperate search for effective vaccines or drug therapies is on the run, nutritional strategies to promote immunity against SARS-CoV-2, are being discussed. Certain fermented foods and probiotics may deliver viable microbes with the potential to promote gut immunity. Prebiotics, on their side, may enhance gut immunity by selectively stimulating certain resident microbes in the gut. Different levels of evidence support the use of fermented foods, probiotics and prebiotics to promote gut and lungs immunity. Without being a promise of efficacy against COVID-19, incorporating them into the diet may help to low down gut inflammation and to enhance mucosal immunity, to possibly better face the infection by contributing to diminishing the severity or the duration of infection episodes.

High-intensity-exercise-induced intestinal damage is protected by fermented milk supplemented with whey protein, probiotic and pomegranate (Punica granatum L.).

Here we evaluated the effect of fermented milk supplemented with whey protein (approximately 80 % protein), probiotic (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB12) and pomegranate juice (Punica granatum L.) on the physical performance, intestinal motility and villi structure, inflammatory markers and intestinal microbiota of rats under high-intensity acute exercise. In all, twenty-four Wistar rats were separated into groups: control (Ctrl), supplemented (Supp), exercised (Exe) and exercised and supplemented (Exe+Supp). Rats in the Supp groups received fermented milk during 6 weeks by oral administration. At the end of the supplementation period, the Exe groups were submitted to high-intensity acute exercise on a treadmill. We found that intense acute exercise caused changes in the intestinal villi interspace, changes in the proportion of Lactobacillus species and an increase in Clostridium species, as well as a decrease in intestinal motility. Supplementation increased intestinal motility, and maintained the intestinal villi interspace and the natural microbiota proportions of the exercised rats. Physical performance was not improved by fermented milk supplementation. We conclude that the fermented milk containing whey protein, B. animalis (BB12) and pomegranate juice can re-establish intestinal microbiota and protect the animals from the undesirable effects of intense acute exercise.