Study finds probiotic cheese linked to healthier immune system

Refrigerated dairy products have long been considered an ideal carrier for probiotics because they provide a suitable matrix for live microbes.

Now a recently published clinical study has shown for the first time that commercially produced cheese has the potential to provide immune health benefits when fortified with probiotics.

The study published by FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology this year comprised of 31 healthy elderly subjects involved in three consecutive phases of monitored cheese consumption.

In the first phase, the subjects ate 15g of a control cheese at breakfast for two weeks.

In phase two, the intervention, they consumed 15g of a similar cheese containing Danisco probiotics (109 CFU/dose) for the next four weeks.

In phase three, the subjects switched back to consuming the control cheese for the last four weeks.

The cheese enhanced with Howaru Rhamnosus (Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001) and Howaru Dophilus (Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM), which was consumed during phase two, was shown to significantly improve immunity defence indicators in the subjects’ blood when compared with tests conducted during phases one and three.

The intervention resulted in enhanced phagocytic and Natural Killer cell activity.

This is particularly interesting as enhanced phagocytic activity and Natural Killer cells are believed to be linked to immunity.

The findings are especially promising for the elderly, as age-related compromises in the immune system have been correlated to increased frequency and severity of infectious disease and chronic inflammatory disorders.