［Health Science domain］
New Clinical Study Shows L. lactis strain Plasma Shows Reduction Of Cold-like Symptoms And Sick Days In Vietnamese Elementary Schoolers
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- Research and Technology
April 18, 2022
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
● Clinical study conducted on first to third grade elementary school students consuming L. lactis strain Plasma*1 regularly at lunchtime
● Results show significant reduction in the cumulative number of days with cold-like symptoms and absentee rates
● Results echo a similar study on elementary school students in Japan – further reaffirming L. lactis strain Plasma’s positive effect on the immune system
TOKYO, April 18, 2022 – Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings), in collaboration with the National Institute of Nutrition in Vietnam (NIN), has conducted a study that suggests L. lactis strain Plasma, given regularly at lunchtime to elementary school students in Vietnam, showed a reduced number of days students experienced cold-like symptoms*2; in turn reducing the number of absences due to sickness. The clinical trial was conducted in which approximately 1,000 first- to third-grade students of elementary schools in Vietnam consumed beverages containing approximately 100 billion units of L. lactis strain Plasma or beverages not containing L. lactis strain Plasma (Control) for 8 weeks. Results confirmed that the cumulative number of days of cold-like symptoms and the cumulative number of days of school absences due to these symptoms significantly decreased in the group that consumed the beverage containing L. lactis strain Plasma.
This is the first clinical trial involving L. lactis strain Plasma in children overseas. The results of this study were accepted and published in Nutrients*3 on January 27, and presented at the 125th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Pediatric Society (https://www.jpeds.or.jp/modules/en/index.php?content_id=8) on April 17.
1: Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis JCM 5805 owned by RIKEN BioResource Center.
2: Symptoms including upper respiratory tract infection and gastrointestinal infection.
3: Academic journal published by MDPI, a publisher based in Switzerland
Kirin Holdings has previously reported that L. lactis strain Plasma has shown an immunostimulatory effect in the defense against viral infection through the activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells*4 and had shown reduced cold and flu-like symptoms*5 in studies on human subjects. In 2015, a survey*6 conducted on elementary and junior high school students in Shizukuishi Town in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture showed that consumption of yogurt containing L. lactis strain Plasma significantly reduced the cumulative influenza infection rate compared to neighboring areas where no L. lactis strain Plasma-containing yogurt was consumed. The clinical trial conducted in Vietnam was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, which allowed for a more rigorous evaluation than previous studies on children.
4: Source: Jounai et al., PLoS One (2012)
5: Source: Sugimura et al., Clin. Immunol (2013)
6: Source:Sakata et al., Health (2017)/Influenza Infection Rates Suppressed by L. lactis Plasma Confirmed https://health.kirin.co.jp/ps/pdf/1.pdf (Japanese)PDF：732KB
The clinical trial using L. lactis strain Plasma showed reduced symptoms such as fever and diarrhea, which are cold-like symptoms in first- to third-grade elementary school students, suggesting that continuous intake of L. lactis strain Plasma can be a safe and convenient measure against infectious diseases for children.
Clinical Trial Summary
Study period: September 2020 - January 2021 (8-week intervention period)
Subjects: Approximately 1,000 first- to third-grade elementary school students in Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam
Method: Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study
Study Results
(1) Decrease in cumulative number of days absent due to cold-like symptoms
It was also suggested that even if a student fell ill, the number of days missed from school due to cold-like symptoms may be reduced if the student is taking L. lactis strain Plasma.
(2) Decrease in cumulative number of days of fever
In the group that took L. lactis strain Plasma, the number of days of fever positive significantly decreased.
(3) Decrease in cumulative number of days of diarrhea
In the group taking L. lactis strain Plasma, the number of cumulative days of diarrhea decreased significantly.
(4) Improvement in self-evaluation of physical health
The cumulative number of days that the group that had been taking L. Lactis strain Plasma significantly answered that they were “not feeling well” decreased. These answers were considered to indicate an overall improvement in the physical condition of the school students.
Modified from Nutrients 2022, 14, 552（https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/3/552）
About Kirin Holdings
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.
Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.
Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become A global leader in CSV*, creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals. Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.
*: Creating Shared Value. Combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.
