Scientist - News - 12-01-2009:

Probiotic may help to combat cholesterol
Beintema, Nienke

Brazilian research has shown that the probiotic bacterium Enterococcus faecium CRL183 positively affects cholesterol levels in rabbits. The study recommends this probiotic as an extra treatment against high cholesterol.

Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death in the Western world. They are responsible for one out of three deaths. Much scientific attention is therefore directed towards possible prevention strategies. Cardiovascular diseases are closely linked to the blood concentration of certain lipids, such as cholesterol and triglycerides. Researchers from São Paolo State University (Brazil) found that E. faecium positively affects some of these parameters. They published their results in the January issue of the journal Lipids in Health and Disease.

‘Good’ cholesterol
The study compared the effects of three different remedies: E. faecium, an isoflavones mixture and simvastatin. Isoflavones are organic compounds – naturally present in many bean species, including soy – that have been proven to lower cholesterol, and simvastatin is a synthetic drug commonly used for the same purpose. The researchers tested the effect of these three treatments on different lipid parameters in rabbits with induced high cholesterol.
"We selected E. faecium for this experiment," says lead author Daniela Cavallini, "because in our previous in vitro studies we found that this probiotic reduces cholesterol by more than half. We also demonstrated that a soy yoghurt fermented with E. faecium CRL 183 and Lactobacillus helveticus ssp. jugurti 416 improved the lipid parameters in animals and humans."
In the new study, rabbits were randomly assigned to five experimental groups for 60 days: a control group that did not consume cholesterol, a group on a high-cholesterol diet, and three groups on a high-cholesterol diet plus one of the three remedies. Cavallini and her colleagues focused on three lipid parameters: total cholesterol; cholesterol bound to high-density lipoprotein (HDL); and triglycerides. HDL ‘captures’ lipids such as cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood stream and transports them to the liver, where they are excreted or processed. A high level of HDL-bound cholesterol (HDL-c) seems to protect against cardiovascular diseases. This is why HDL-c is sometimes called ‘good cholesterol’. High triglyceride levels, on the other hand, are associated with cardiovascular events.
Simvastatin proved to be the most effective drug: it significantly reduced the total cholesterol (16%) and triglycerides (58%) and increased the HDL-c (98%), compared to the non-treated high-cholesterol group. Although E. faecium did not lower total cholesterol, it did raise HDL-c by 43% and lower triglycerides by 53%. Isoflavone decreased the total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, but this effect was not statistically significant.
"We conclude that E. faecium may well be a valuable adjuvant for drug therapy," says Cavallini. "Our next step is continue the research using a soy yoghurt fermented with E. faecium. The study will include the determination of lipid profile and additional markers of cardiovascular risk, including cytokines, in humans with moderately high cholesterol levels."

More information:
Cavallini’s article in Lipids in Health and Disease