Antidiabetic effect of milk fermented using intestinal probiotics

Purpose Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that accounted for 6 per cent of total Indonesian deaths in 2016. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of milk fermented using intestinal origin Lactobacillus casei strains to alleviate hyperglycemia in rats. Design/methodology/approach L. casei strains AP and AG were previously isolated and identified from feces of breastfed Indonesian infants (<1 month-old) and confirmed to be probiotics in vitro. These strains were used as bacterial starters to ferment milk, and the fermented product was fed to 25 diabetic rats for 15 days; metformin was used as a positive control. Blood glucose concentration, lipid profiles and total lactic acid bacteria counts were analyzed before and after treatment. Findings The results showed that feeding rats with milk fermented using L. casei strain AP decreased blood glucose concentration from 172.4 +/- 2.1 to 147.2 +/- 6.0 mg/dL (p < 0.05), whereas metformin reduced blood glucose concentration from 173.5 +/- 6.5 to 124.2 +/- 16.9 mg/dL (p < 0.05). Feeding milk fermented either L. casei AP or AG decreased low density lipoprotein but increased high density lipoprotein levels (p < 0.05). Social implications This research finding is expected to increase the development of fermented dairy products as functional food. Originality/value Oral administration of L. casei AP-fermented milk reduced hyperglycemia in rats similar to metformin. Further study is needed to examine the effect of L. casei AP-fermented milk on humans with hyperglycemia.