We investigated the effects of freeze-dried Lactobacillus casei OLL2212 (LC2212) on fecal properties, fecal bifidobacterial cell counts, and putrefactive metabolite concentration in 83 healthy Japanese females aged between 18 and 39. The volunteers ate 1 g powder food with or without freeze-dried LC2212 (low-dose group, ≥10⁸ cfu/g; high-dose group, ≥10⁹ cfu/g) per day for 2 weeks, in a double-blind placebo controlled study. Although there were no statistical differences between placebo and each LC2212 intake group, defecation frequency (days) in high-dose group increased as compared with that before intake period. In both test groups, defecation frequency (days and times) and fecal quantity of the subjects with mild constipation during the intake period significantly increased, whereas the improvement was not observed in placebo group. These results showed that the ingestion of freeze-dried LC2212 may help to improve the defecation of constipated females.

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