Lactobacillus Acidophilus Health Benefits
What is Acidophilus?
Acidophilus is a general term used to describe a group of probiotics which contain a number of bacteria which provide health benefits to humans. Probiotics are living micro organisms that provide certain health benefits to the host. Acidophilus includes bacteria which help with digestion such as
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Lactobacillus casei
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus
- Bifidobacterium species
- Streptococcus thermophilus
Lactobacillus acidophilus gets its name from "lacto", meaning milk, -bacillus meaning rod-like in shape, and acidophilus means "acid-loving". As the name suggests, lactobacillus acidophilus thrives in acidic environments, and occurs naturally in humans and animals. It is considered a probiotic, meaning it is a human "friendly" bacteria that has health benefits for humans. They're found in the intestines and vagina, and protect against other unhealthy organisms.
Studies have confirmed that Lactobacillus acidophilus is able to "inhibit the growth of certain enteropathogens: Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter without interfering with the normal microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract". [1] Enteropathogens are organisms that are capable of producing intestinal disease. What this means is that lactobacillus acidophilus helps improve intestinal health by inhibiting the growth of "bad" organisms.
Probiotic Acidophilus - What is Acidophilus Used For?
Probiotics are dietary supplements which are living bacteria which convey health benefits for the host organism. The most common type are the lactic acid bacteria, which converts sugars including lactose and other carbohydrates into lactic acid. This is what creates that sour taste in yogurts, and also makes the environment more hostile for other undesirable organisms.
Lactobacillus Acidophilus breaks down nutrients and produces lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide and other byproducts, making the environment hostile of other undesirable organisms.[2] There are many health benefits of acidophilus, which are explained below.
Lactobacillus Acidophilus Side Effects and Health Benefits
Acidophilus breaks down nutrients and produces lactic acid among other byproducts. Yogurt is one of the most common foods that contain lactobacillus acidophilus. Various research and clinical studies have indicated that Lactobacillus acidophilus provides a host of health benefits such as boosting immune system, reducing frequency of vaginal yeast infection, provides relief from indigestion and diarrhea, and helps improve gastrointestinal function. There are also many research studies that have shown Lactobacillus acidophilus useful in reducing serum cholesterol levels. [3] Below is one such study, where the reduction in cholesterol levels leads to the conclusion that consuming yogurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus has the potential to reduce coronary heart disease risk by 6 to 10%.
Effect of fermented milk (yogurt) containing Lactobacillus acidophilus L1 on serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic humans.
Anderson JW, Gilliland SE.
Metabolic Research Group, VA Medical Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40511, USA.
Two controlled clinical studies were performed to examine effects of consumption of one daily serving of fermented milk (FM) (yogurt) on serum lipids. The first study was a single blind trial where subjects consumed 200ml serving of yogurt daily that contained Lactobacillus acidophilus for 3 weeks. The second study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, where subjects followed a 4 week treatment followed by a 2 week washout, and completed a second 4 week treatment. Subjects consumed yogurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus.
From the first study, they found that consuming fermented milk containing Lactobacillus acidophilus lead to a 2.4% reduction of serum cholesterol levels. In the second study, cholesterol levels were reduced by 3.2% during the first 4 week period, but noticed no changes in cholesterol levels in the following 4 week period. They concluded that regular consumption of fermented milk (yogurt) containing Lactobacillus acidophilus has the potential of reducing risk for coronary heart disease by 6 to 10%. [3]
The breakdown of nutrients by L. acidophilus produces lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and other byproducts that make the environment hostile for undesired organisms. L. acidophilus also tends to consume the nutrients many other microorganisms depend on, thus out-competing possibly harmful bacteria in the digestive tract. During digestion, L. acidophilus also assists in the production of niacin, folic acid, and pyridoxine. L. acidophilus can assist in bile deconjugation, separating amino acids from bile acids, which can then be recycled by the body. [2]
Acidophilus produces various chemicals that aid the digestion process. Various studies have found Lactobacillus Acidophilus helps boost immune system [4], and can also help improve health [5]. It also exists in the vagina, and the acid it produces helps control the growth of the fungus Candida albicans, which helps to prevent vaginal yeast infections. Lactobacillus Acidophilus has few side effects, and is generally believed to be safe.
Immune enhancing effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10 and Lactobacillus paracasei LAFTI L26 in mice.
Paturi G, Phillips M, Jones M, Kailasapathy K.
Centre for Plant and Food Science, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Campus, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, NSW 1797, Australia.
This study investigated the immune enhancing properties of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus paracasei in mice. The mice were fed for 14 days, where the effect of these strains on immunoglobulin A, interleukin-10 and interferon gamma producing cells in the gut immune system was determined by immunofluorescence assays. Systemic immune responses were analyzed in mice serum after a 14-day feeding trial..
L. acidophilus and L. paracasei strains demonstrated an increase in the number of IgA producing cells, IL-10 and IFN-gamma cytokine producing cells in the small intestine. In the systemic immune response, mice fed with L. acidophilus or L. paracasei also enhanced the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) and pro-inflammatory cytokine (IFN-gamma). The study concludes that Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus paracasei were able to enhance specific gut and systemic immune responses in mice. [4]
Disturbances in intestinal microbial ecology and in the immune system of the host have been implicated as a part of the pathogenesis in chronic fatigue syndrome. Probiotic lactic acid producing bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus have been shown to prevent and alleviate gastrointestinal disturbances and to normalize the cytokine profile which might be of an advantage for patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. [5]
Effect of supplement with lactic-acid producing bacteria on fatigue and physical activity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Sullivan A, Nord CE, Evengård B.
Division of Clinical Microbiology, F82, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden. asa.sullivan@ki.se
This study aims to evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium lactis on fatigue and physical activity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). 15 CFS patients took part in this study. During the first two weeks baseline observations without treatment were assessed, succeeded by four weeks of intake of a probiotic product and a four-week follow-up period.
The fatigue, health and physical activity was assessed by the use of the Visual Analogue Scales and the SF-12 Health Survey. Faecal samples were collected and the normal microflora was analysed. Neurocognitive functions improved during the study period while there were no significant changes in fatigue and physical activity scores. At the end of the study, 6 patients reported improvements in their assessments, leading to the conclusion that supplementing lactic acid producing bacteria such as Lactobacillus paracasei can improve health. [5]
Lactobacillus Acidophilus Research and Studies
In our research on Lactobacillus acidophilus, we came across numerous studies. While most studies demonstrate many health benefits of Lactobacillus acidophilus, there are also various conflicting studies which were unable to demonstrate the same findings as the positive studies.
There exists a large body of clinical studies that have found Lactobacillus acidophilus provide a wide range of health benefits such as inhibiting growth of undesirable organism, provides relief for diarrhea, lowers cholesterol, and boosts immune function among others. Of the many studies we looked at, there were also some studies that provide opposing views. For example, in a study titled "Yogurt enriched with Lactobacillus acidophilus does not lower blood lipids in healthy men and women with normal to borderline high serum cholesterol levels", 78 subjects consumed either a placebo or a Lactobacillus acidophilus enriched yogurt. At the end of the study, they found no different in LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, concluding that Lactobacillus acidophilus did not lower serum cholesterol levels. [6]
This study is in direct contradiction to the previous cholesterol study we illustrated above where the researchers concluded that Lactobacillus acidophilus reduced cholesterol levels by 2.4% and 3.2% leading to the conclusion that it has the potential of reducing risk for coronary heart disease by 6 to 10%. Despite the obvious inconsistent findings, we came across a much larger body of studies which speaks well for Lactobacillus acidophilus health benefits, and as far as Lactobacillus acidophilus side effects, none of the studies made any mention of any reported side effects.
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1. J Appl Microbiol. 2003;94(3):449-55.
Probiotic properties of human lactobacilli strains to be used in the gastrointestinal tract.
Fernández MF, Boris S, Barbés C.
Area de Microbiología, Departamento de Biología Funcional, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
2. Wikipedia
3. J Am Coll Nutr. 1999 Feb;18(1):43-50.
Effect of fermented milk (yogurt) containing Lactobacillus acidophilus L1 on serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic humans.
Anderson JW, Gilliland SE.
Metabolic Research Group, VA Medical Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40511, USA.
4. Int J Food Microbiol. 2007 Apr 1;115(1):115-8. Epub 2006 Nov 28.
Immune enhancing effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10 and Lactobacillus paracasei LAFTI L26 in mice.
Paturi G, Phillips M, Jones M, Kailasapathy K.
Centre for Plant and Food Science, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Campus, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, NSW 1797, Australia.
5. Nutr J. 2009 Jan 26;8:4.
Effect of supplement with lactic-acid producing bacteria on fatigue and physical activity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Sullivan A, Nord CE, Evengård B.
Division of Clinical Microbiology, F82, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden. asa.sullivan@ki.se
6. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999 Apr;53(4):277-80.
Yoghurt enriched with Lactobacillus acidophilus does not lower blood lipids in healthy men and women with normal to borderline high serum cholesterol levels.
de Roos NM, Schouten G, Katan MB.
Division of Human Nutrition and Epidemiology, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands.
April 2009
