Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCES AND NUTRITION
Volume 57, Issue 7-8, Pages 470-480Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/09637480600968735
Keywords
egyptian children; vitamin B12; folate; homocysteine; urinary methylmalonic acid; nutrition intervention; Lactobacillus acidophilus
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Objective To evaluate the biopotency of the viable probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus (La1) in yoghurt matrix consumed by Egyptian children on their plasma vitamin B-12 and folate levels, and their metabolic markers methylmalonic acid (MMA) and total homocysteine (t-Hcy). Methods A randomized nutritional supplementation trial (42 days duration) was performed in free-living children of both sexes (11 years old). The La1 in yoghurt matrix was administered to provide 10(12) colony-forming units/subject/day. Blood sampling for the analysis of plasma vitamin B-12, folate and t-Hcy was performed by standardized methods. Five-hour urine collection was used for the analysis of MMA and t-Hcy. Results Initially 33.3% of the children presented with biochemical vitamin B-12 deficiency (< 208 pg/ml), while one-fifth (21%) were biochemically deficient in folate (< 3 ng/ml folate/ml plasma or 0.68 nmol/l). Fifty percent of the children presented with high plasma t-Hcy (> 15.0 mu mol/l). The daily consumption of the probiotic La1 yoghurt for 42 days significantly improved the mean levels of plasma vitamin B-12 (P < 0.05) and folate (P < 0.01) among the studied children compared with the respective baseline data. On the other hand, the average levels of plasma t-Hcy and urinary MMA decreased significantly (P < 0.05) at the termination of the 42-day nutritional supplementation, compared with the respective initial mean levels. The consumption of the probiotic yoghurt was also associated with a significant (chi(2) = 8.0; P < 0.01) reduction in the percentage prevalence of anemia (hemoglobin < 120 g/l). Conclusion The long-term ingestion of viable probiotic La1 potentially promoted the overall nutritional status of the studied children.
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