Effect of Yogurt Added With Bifidobacteria and Soluble Fiber on Bowel Function: A Randomized, Double-blind, Longitudinal Controlled Study in Mexican Adult.

The use of probiotics and prebiotics has become popular in human nutrition and food product development. The most common probiotics are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species. Bifidobacteria spp are dominant in the intestinal microflora and are considered to be beneficial to the host, for this reason research efforts have focused on increasing their proportion in the intestinal microflora through oral administration of mixtures containing bifidobacteria or oral supplementation with prebiotics. An important limitation for the effectiveness of oral probiotics is that they might be destroyed during digestion in the gastrointestinal tract therefore and adequate vehicle could improve its potential benefits. Yogurt is a suitable vehicle for the administration of bifidobacteria, due to its physicochemical properties, such as pH and nutrients content, as well as the organoleptic properties that contribute to its increasing consumption. Thus simultaneous administration of probiotics and prebiotics in a suitable vehicle could act synergistically and may have potential for improving gut health. Few clinical trials have been performed using prebiotics and probiotics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the consumption of yogurt added with bifidobacteria and soluble fiber on gastrointestinal function of healthy adults. A product as herein described is expected to improve gastrointestinal function and maintain the intestinal microflora balance of healthy subjects and perhaps of patients with altered bowel functions.