Yogurt Consumption Is Associated with Lower Levels of Chronic Inflammation in the Framingham Offspring Study

Daily yogurt consumption does not affect bone turnover markers in men and postmenopausal women of Caribbean Latino descent: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Caribbean Latino adults are at high risk for osteoporosis yet remain underrepresented in bone research. This increased risk is attributed to genetics, diet, and lifestyle known to drive inflammation and microbial dysbiosis.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether consuming 5 oz of yogurt daily for 8wks improves bone turnover markers (BTMs) among Caribbean Latino adults > 50 years; and secondarily to determine the impact on the gut microbiota and markers of intestinal integrity and inflammation.

METHODS

Following a 4wk baseline period, participants were randomized to an 8wk whole fat yogurt intervention (n = 10) daily, containing only Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, or to an untreated control group that did not consume yogurt (n = 10). Blood and stool samples collected at week-0 and week-8 were used to assess BTMs, inflammation, intestinal integrity biomarkers, and gut microbiota composition, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), respectively. Data were evaluated for normality and statistical analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Participants were 55% women, with a mean age of 70 ± 9 years, BMI 30 ± 6 kg/m2, and serum C-reactive protein 4.8 ± 3.6 mg/L, indicating chronic low-grade inflammation. Following 8wks of yogurt intake, absolute change in BTMs did not differ significantly between groups (P = 0.06-0.78). Secondarily, absolute change in markers of inflammation, intestinal integrity, and fecal SCFAs did not differ significantly between groups (P range 0.13-1.00). Yogurt intake for 8wks was significantly associated with microbial compositional changes of rare taxa (P = 0.048); however, no significant alpha diversity changes were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, daily yogurt did not improve BTMs, inflammation, intestinal integrity, nor SCFAs. However, yogurt did influence beta diversity, or the abundance of rare taxa within the gut microbiota of the yogurt group, compared to controls. Additional research to identify dietary approaches to reduce osteoporosis risk among Caribbean Latino adults is needed.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study is registered to ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05350579 (28/04/2022).

Physicochemical, Rheological, and Sensory Characteristics of Yogurt Fermented by Lactic Acid Bacteria with Probiotic Potential and Bioprotective Properties

The applicability of two lactic acid bacterial strains with probiotic potential and bioprotective properties as additions in the starter culture in yogurt fermentation was examined. The studied strains, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus KZM 2-11-3 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KC 5-12, inhibited the growth of Kluyveromyces lactis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The strain L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus KZM 2-11-3 directly inhibited Escherichia coli. The important characteristics for the quality of the yogurt product, such as physicochemical parameters during fermentation and storage, rheological characteristics, and sensory changes during the storage of samples were determined. The yogurt samples with the strains did not differ in most parameters from the control yogurt with the commercial starter. The added strains showed stable viability in the yogurt samples during storage. The yogurt sample with L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus KZM 2-11-3 and the sample with both strains based on the total evaluation were very similar to the control yogurt with the commercial starter. Using these strains as probiotic supplements to enrich the starter cultures in yogurt production will contribute to developing new products with benefits to human health.

Saturated fat from dairy sources is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk in the Framingham Offspring Study

BACKGROUND

Current dietary guidance recommends limiting intakes of saturated fats, but most fails to consider that saturated fats from different food sources may have different health effects.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to evaluate the associations of saturated fats from dairy and nondairy sources with measures of body fat, inflammatory biomarkers, lipid concentrations, and lipid particle sizes and concentrations.

METHODS

The Framingham Offspring Study is a prospective cohort study. Participants (n = 2391) ≥30 y of age who had dietary records and data on the outcomes of interest were included.

RESULTS

Among females, those in the highest quintile (compared with the lowest) of dairy-derived saturated fat had lower multivariable-adjusted levels of body fat [BMI (in kg/m2): 26.2 compared with 27.8, P < 0.01; and percentage fat mass: 36.7% compared with 38.0%, P = 0.09) and larger LDL particle sizes. Nondairy saturated fat in females was inversely associated with the triglyceride (TG):HDL ratio (P = 0.03). Among males, intakes of dairy-derived saturated fats were inversely associated with C-reactive protein (P < 0.01), fibrinogen (P < 0.01), TGs (P < 0.01), and the TG:HDL ratio (P < 0.01). HDL cholesterol was 2.8 mg/dL (P = 0.04) higher among males in the highest (compared with the lowest) quintile of saturated fat from dairy sources. Males with the highest intakes of dairy-derived saturated fats had larger HDL and LDL particle sizes (P < 0.01 for both), a higher HDL particle concentration (P < 0.01), and a lower VLDL particle concentration (P < 0.01). There were no statistically significant adverse effects of saturated fats from nondairy sources on any of these outcomes in either males or females.

CONCLUSIONS

Males with higher intakes of dairy-derived saturated fats had a less atherogenic profile than males with lower intakes of these fats. These effects were weaker in females. Nondairy saturated fats were not associated with these cardiometabolic outcomes.

Probiotic Intake and Inflammation in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: An Analysis of the CKD-REIN Cohort

Background and Aims

Little is known about the effects of probiotics on inflammation in the context of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We investigated the association between probiotic intake and inflammation in patients with moderate-to-advanced CKD.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study of 888 patients with stage 3–5 CKD and data on serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and a concomitant food frequency questionnaire. We estimated the odds ratios (ORs) [95% confidence interval (CI)] for various CRP thresholds (>3, >4, >5, >6, and >7 mg/L) associated with three intake categories (no yoghurt, ordinary yoghurt, and probiotics from yoghurts or dietary supplements) and two frequency categories (daily or less than daily).

Results

The 888 study participants (median age: 70; men: 65%) had a median estimated glomerular filtration rate of 28.6 mL/min/1.73 m² and a median [interquartile range] CRP level of 3.0 [1.6, 7.0] mg/L. Fifty-seven percent consumed ordinary yoghurt and 30% consumed probiotic yoghurt. The median intake frequency for yoghurt and probiotics was 7 per week. Relative to participants not consuming yoghurt, the ORs [95% CI] for CRP > 6 or >7 mg/L were significantly lower for participants consuming ordinary yoghurt (0.58 [0.37, 0.93] and 0.57 [0.35, 0.91], respectively) and for participants consuming probiotics (0.54 [0.33, 0.9] and 0.48 [0.28, 0.81], respectively), independently of age, sex, body mass index, CKD stage, cardiovascular disease, and fibre, protein and total energy intakes. The ORs were not significantly lower for CRP thresholds >3, >4, and >5 mg/L and were not significantly greater in daily consumers than in occasional consumers.

Conclusion

We observed independent associations between the consumption of yoghurt or probiotics and lower levels of inflammation in patients with CKD. There was no evidence of a dose-effect relationship.

Clinical Trial Registration

[https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03381950], identifier [NCT03381950].

Association between dairy protein and body composition in middle-aged and older women: A community-based, 12-year, prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Changes in body composition during aging include decreased muscle mass and increased fat mass. Women with low muscle mass with abdominal obesity (LMAO), in particular, could be at higher risk of morbidities and mortality than those with either sarcopenia or obesity alone. Dairy products, which contain whey protein and all essential amino acids, could have a beneficial role in preserving muscle mass and reducing obesity. We aimed to analyze the association between dairy protein and the development of LMAO in women using a large-scale, community-based prospective cohort.

METHODS

Our analysis included 4251 women from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Participants were categorized into three groups by the tertile of dairy protein intake, which was assessed using a semi-quantitative 103-food item food frequency questionnaire. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was estimated using the anthropometric equation. Low muscle mass (LM) was defined as a muscle mass of less than 15 kg in women. Abdominal obesity (AO) was defined as a weight to height ratio of 0.58 or greater. LMAO was defined as LM in combination with AO. Multiple Cox hazard regression analysis was conducted to examine associations between dairy protein intake and incident LMAO.

RESULTS

During follow-up (mean, 9.6 years), 280 women newly developed LMAO. According to Cox proportional regression models, the hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for incident LMAO in the middle and highest tertiles were 0.89 (0.74-1.06) and 0.71 (0.59-0.86), compared with lowest tertile, after adjusting for confounding variables.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that high dairy protein intake is inversely related with LMAO development in Korean women. Dairy protein intake could be effective in preventing incident LMAO.

The association between daily yogurt consumption and serum lipid profiles in the general adult population: the TCLSIH cohort study

The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to determine the association between yogurt consumption and lipid profiles in the general Chinese population. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 26,824 participants were included from Tianjin, China. Lipid profiles were determined by automated biochemical analyser. Yogurt consumption frequency was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Analysis of covariance was used to determine the association between daily yogurt consumption and lipid profiles. In the final multivariate model, daily yogurt consumption was negatively associated with triglyceride (TG) (p for trend <0.001) and positively associated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p for trend = 0.02). There were no significant differences (p for trend >0.05) between daily yogurt consumption and total cholesterol (TC) or low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Results suggested that higher daily yogurt consumption was negatively correlated with TG and positively correlated with HDL-C in the general Chinese population.