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A daily probiotic drink could help keep the worst of your cold and flu symptoms at bay. [Photo: Bigstock]

Probiotics can help reduce cold symptoms

Natural Health News — A new study has found that in people prone to colds and flu, supplementing your daily diet with probiotics can help reduce symptoms.

The researchers, affiliated with several universities in Beijing as well as Indiana State University, investigated the effects of probiotic supplementation who have contracted the common cold four or more times in the past year.

The positive results, they say, build on existing science backing probiotics’ benefits to the upper respiratory tract:

“Numerous studies have illustrated the effects of the intestinal microflora on the functioning immune response, therefore, it seems reasonable that changing the microflora with probiotics could potentially modulate the immune response and, in fact, improve the immune status of individuals,”​they wrote.

Probiotic vs placebo​

The 134 study participants were selected if they have had the common cold or influenza-like respiratory illness at least four times in the previous year.

Over a 12 week period, half the study participants were supplemented with 150ml per day of either a probiotic blend, delivered in a yogurt drink or a placebo drink, according to a study​​ published in Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology​.

The active yogurt drink, taken after lunch, was fermented with starter cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles (around 2 million colony forming units, or CFUs). Added to this were branded strains of the probiotics ​Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus casei​ 431 and Lactobacillus fermentum ​PCC (in total around 260 million CFUs, when the drink was fresh, a little less as time went on).

Meanwhile, the placebo drink only contained the drink fermented with L. bulgaricus ​and S.thermophiles (around 2 million CFUs – again less as time passed).  The branded probiotics were made by Denmark-based global supplier Chr. Hansen​​.

The 134 study participants were selected if they have had the common cold or influenza-like respiratory illness at least four times in the previous year.

To measure compliance and the participant’s health and wellness, the researchers used a daily questionnaire. All participants also had their blood and fecal samples collected at the beginning and end of the 12-week trial.

Fewer symptoms

By the end of the study, 11 participants from the placebo group had influenza-like illness with body temperature higher than 38 degrees Celsius and at least one of the upper respiratory infection symptoms (like cough, nasal congestion, headache, etc.).

Only three from the investigational group reported these symptoms.

Additionally, the average days of the symptoms was statistically less among the probiotics group compared to the placebo.

“The findings of our study indicate that the combination of probiotics (L. paracasei, L. casei 431 and L, fermentum PCC) could reduce the incidence of the upper respiratory infection,”​ they wrote.

Analysis of blood serum suggested that the benefit may come from increased level of the cytokine IFN-Y, linked to a human’s immune support, that was the result of probiotic supplementation.