Probiotic Drink Good for Insulin Resistance

Late last week I posted a blog on a new study that found probiotics help regulate blood glucose levels in diabetic subjects, which is promising for many reason. And again this week there’s more news on probiotics. In the new study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers wanted to know whether probiotic supplementation (Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS)) prevents diet-induced insulin resistance in human subjects (2015;113(4):596-602).

A total of 17 healthy subjects were randomized to either a probiotic (n=8) or a control (n=9) group. The probiotic group consumed a LcS-fermented milk drink twice daily for four weeks, whereas the control group received no supplementation. Subjects maintained their normal diet for the first three weeks of the study, after which they consumed a high-fat (65-percent of energy), high-energy (50-percent increase in energy intake) diet for seven days.

Body mass increased by 0.6 kg in the control group and by 0.3 kg in the probiotic group. Fasting plasma glucose concentrations increased following seven days of overeating, whereas fasting serum insulin concentrations were maintained in both groups. Glucose AUC values increased by 10 percent and whole-body insulin sensitivity decreased by 27 percent in the control group, whereas normal insulin sensitivity was maintained in the probiotic group before and after overeating. These results suggest that probiotic supplementation may be useful in the prevention of diet-induced metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

This is significant to the food and beverage industry because as dairy categories continue to evolve and expand, greater opportunity for probiotics will also expand. And this isn’t exclusive to yogurt; dairy beverages, ice cream and more will benefit from probiotics’ healthy claims.