Historical Research Note (2001): Early Findings on Probiotics and Immune Support
Newer research continues to explore the role of probiotics in respiratory immunity, but this early animal study should be viewed as preliminary.
In an animal study performed by scientists in Japan, the normal bowel bacteria, Lactobacillus casei seemed to have a protective effect against the flu. In the study, published in the journal Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology (May 2001; 8:593-597), mice were inoculated with flu virus. One group of mice was given Lactobacillus casei in a nasal spray three days prior to the inoculation. The group treated with the bacteria had a 90% lower viral load than mice who were not treated. Also, 69% of the mice given the bacteria survived the flu, compared to 15% of the mice who were not given the bacteria.
