Effect of yogurt enriched with Bifidobacterium bifidum or Lactobacillus acidophilus on fatty metabolites of serum and colonic microflora in healthy subjects

Abstract Probiotic products highly affect the health of consumers by reducing the risk of heart attacks and improving of desirable microflora in intestinal tract. In this study the effect of yogurt (500g/d for 3 wk) enriched with either Bifidobacterium bifidum or Lactobacillus acidophilus on the level of cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) of serum and intestinal microflora were investigated in 24 healthy volunteers. Statistical analysis showed that decreased levels of cholesterol and HDL were found after consumption of both bioyogurts compared to the control (P<0.05), whereas change of LDL was insignificant. Also, in comparison with the control, the results of microbial counts indicated that the fecal coliforms excreted during the consumption of either yogurts were not noticeable, but numbers of Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus acidophilus increased significantly (P<0.05). Key words: Probiotic yogurt, Cholesterol, Low density lipoprotein (LDL), High density lipoprotein (HDL), Intestinal micro flora