probiotics-containing biscuit modulates the intestinal microbiota in the elderly

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition, health & aging health & aging, 2013-02, Vol.17 (2), p.166-172
• Main Authors: Rampelli, S, Candela, M, Severgnini, M, Biagi, E, Turroni, S, Roselli, M, Carnevali, P, Donini, L, Brigidi, P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Antibiosis - drug effects; Antibiotics; Bacteria - drug effects; Bifidobacterium longum; Biological and medical sciences; Campylobacter; Clostridium difficile; Clostridium perfringens; Double-Blind Method; elderly; Enterococcus faecium; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Food science; functional foods; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Humans; Immune system; Intestinal Diseases - microbiology; Intestinal Diseases - prevention & control; intestinal microorganisms; Intestines - microbiology; Lactobacillus helveticus; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; men; Metagenome; Microarray Analysis; microarray technology; Microbiota; Neurosciences; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Older people; Pathogens; Phylogenetics; phylogeny; Physiology; Primary Care Medicine; Probiotics; Probiotics - therapeutic use; Quality of Life Research; Taxonomy; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; volunteers; women
• ISSN: 1279-7707; 1760-4788
• DOI: 10.1007/s12603-012-0372-x

OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of the impact of a biscuit containing the probiotics Bifidobacterium longum Bar33 and Lactobacillus helveticus Barl3 on the intestinal microbiota in the elderly. DESIGN: Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-two elderly volunteers living in Italy. The group was composed of 19 women and 13 men aged between 71 and 88 years (mean 76). INTERVENTION: Subjects were randomized in two groups consuming one dose of the probiotics-containing biscuit or placebo once a day for 30 days. MEASUREMENTS: For each subject the intestinal microbiota was characterized using the phylogenetic microarray platform HTF-Microbi. Array before and after intervention. RESULTS: Our data demonstrated that one-month consumption of a probiotics-containing biscuit was effective in redressing some of the age-related dysbioses of the intestinal microbiota. In particular, the probiotic treatment reverted the age-related increase of the opportunistic pathogens Clostridium cluster XI, Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus faecium and the enteropathogenic genus Campylobacter. CONCLUSION: The present study opens the way to the development of elderly-tailored probiotic-based functional foods to counteract the age-related dysbioses of the intestinal microbiota.