Immune Benefits of Consumption of Dairy Yogurt in Elderly

Immune Benefits of Consumption of Dairy Yogurt Containing Functional Probiotics Among Individuals Over 60 Years Old

To investigate the impact of consuming dairy yogurt on immun function including natural killer (NK) cell activity, circulating levels of cytokines, and immunoglobulin (Ig) in elderly.

A randomized, open-labelled, placebo-controlled study was conducted on 200 nondiabetic, nonobese and elderly (≥60 years) subjects. Over a twelve-week period, the test group consumed one bottle (120 mL) of dairy yogurt each day, whereas the placebo group consumed same volume of low fat milk daily. NK cell activity (%) was measured based on the ratios of effector cells (E; peripheral blood mononuclear cells, PBMCs) from each participant to target cells (T; K562 cells) at E:T= 10:1, 5:1, 2.5:1, 1.25:1 or 0.625:1. In addition, cytokines and immunoglobulin levels measured using commercial kits as manufacturer's instruction.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Able to give informed consent
• Over 60 years old without any health problems
• The levels of white blood cells within range 4x10^3/μL~10x10^3/μL

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals who get a cold
• Diabetes
• Hypersensitivity or disease history for milk protein
• Epilepsy, neurological, or psychological disease
• Alcoholism or drug addiction
• Liver disease or severe kidney failure disease
• Inflammation-related disease
• Consumption of other test products or drugs within 1 month prior to screening
• Regular consumption of immune-related functional foods including yogurt or milk within 1 month prior to screening
• History of inflammation-related disease or taking medication to treat inflammation-related disease within 1 month prior to screening
• History of cancer within 5 years
• Any inappropriate condition