2018 Volume 71 Issue 2 Pages 99-102
As society ages, extension of healthy life expectancy has become a focus of attention in Japan. One way to promote health is taking functional foods. In studies to develop a functional yogurt, we found that Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus OLL1073R-1 produced exopolysaccharides with immunomodulatory effects. Intake of yogurt fermented with this strain enhanced natural killer cell activities by inducing the production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) from splenocytes and ameliorated the severity of influenza virus infection in mice. The yogurt also decreased the risk of catching common cold among healthy elderly individuals and increased the production of antibody after seasonal influenza vaccination in healthy people. These data indicated that intake of this yogurt augmented both innate and adaptive immunity. Furthermore, intake of this yogurt decreased subjective fatigue at times of seasonal temperature fluctuation. Overall, it is considered that intake of this yogurt is likely to be effective for maintenance of health.
