A Double-Blind Controlled Study to Evaluate the Effects of Yogurt Enriched with Lactococcus lactis 11/19-B1 and Bifidobacterium lactis on Serum Low-Density Lipoprotein Level and Antigen-Specific Interferon-γ Releasing Ability

In order to clarify the effects of the ( ) 11/19-B1 strain, a double-blind controlled study of yogurt fermented with the strain was carried out. For the study, two kinds of yogurt, the control and test yogurt, were prepared; the control yogurt was fermented with , subspecies bulgaricus, and , and the test yogurt was enriched with 11/19-B1 and ( ) BB-12 strains. Seventy-six volunteers who had not received treatment with pharmaceuticals were randomly divided into two groups with each group ingesting 80 g of either the test or control yogurt every day for 8 weeks. Before and after yogurt intake, fasting blood was taken and blood sugar, blood lipids, and anti-cytomegalovirus cellular immunity were estimated. In the test yogurt group, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was significantly decreased (159.1 ± 25.7 to 149.3 ± 24.4; = 0.02), but this effect was not observed in the control yogurt group. When the test yogurt group was divided into two groups based on LDL levels of over or under 120 mg/dL, this effect was only observed in the high LDL group. No LDL-lowering effect of BB-12 strain was previously reported; therefore, the hypocholesterolemic effects observed in this study are thought to be caused by the 11/19-B1 strain alone or its combination with the BB-12 strain.