Abstract
Lactose intolerance is a form of lactose maldigestion where individuals experience symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramping, flatulence, vomiting and bowel sounds following lactose consumption. Lactobacillus acidophilus is a species of bacteria known for its sugar fermenting properties. Preclinical studies have found that Lactobacillus acidophilus supplementation may assist in breaking down lactose; however, no human clinical trials exist evaluating its efficacy in alleviating symptoms related to lactose intolerance. The aim of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study was to evaluate the effect of a proprietary strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus on relieving discomfort related to lactose intolerance. The study enrolled healthy volunteers between 18 and 75 years of age who complained of lactose intolerance. Screening visits included a lactose challenge visit to confirm eligibility based on a score of 10 or higher on subjective assessment of the following symptoms after lactose challenge: diarrhea, abdominal cramping, vomiting, audible bowel sounds, flatulence, and overall symptoms. Qualified subjects participated in a 2-arm crossover design, with each arm consisting of 4 weeks of intervention of either active or placebo product, with a 2-week washout period during crossover. The study product consisted of the DDS-1 strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus (Nebraska Cultures, Walnut Creek, California). The placebo was formulated from maltodextrin. Study participants were instructed to take the product once daily for 4 weeks. Data collected included subjective symptom scores related to lactose intolerance. Longitudinal comparison between the DDS-1 group and placebo group demonstrated statistically significant reductions in abdominal symptom scores during the 6-h Lactose Challenge at week 4 for diarrhea (p = 0.033), abdominal cramping (p = 0.012), vomiting (p = 0.0002), and overall symptom score (p = 0.037). No adverse events were reported. The present study has found that this unique DDS-1 strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus, manufactured by Nebraska Cultures, is safe to consume and improves abdominal symptom scores compared to placebo with respect to diarrhea, cramping, and vomiting during an acute lactose challenge.
Highlights
Erratum This erratum is in response to comments made to our recently published study “The Effects of the DDS-1 Strain of Lactobacillus on Symptomatic Relief for Lactose Intolerance - A Randomized, Double-Blind, PlaceboControlled, Crossover Clinical Trial” [1]
The Frese et al study [2] compares autochthonous strains of Lactobacillus to DDS-1, an allochthonous strain. This is a significant aspect of their study, as an allochthonous strain would generally not be expected to establish in higher levels compared with a strain naturally found in the human gastrointestinal tract
The comment “the DDS-1 strain of L. acidophilus to be superior to other strains of lactobacillus in the ability to establish in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract [2]” refers to its ability to colonize the GI tract compared with other allochthonous strains, which in other studies have not been shown to establish well in the human gastrointestinal tract
Summary
Erratum This erratum is in response to comments made to our recently published study “The Effects of the DDS-1 Strain of Lactobacillus on Symptomatic Relief for Lactose Intolerance - A Randomized, Double-Blind, PlaceboControlled, Crossover Clinical Trial” [1]. The Frese et al study [2] compares autochthonous strains of Lactobacillus to DDS-1, an allochthonous strain. This is a significant aspect of their study, as an allochthonous strain would generally not be expected to establish in higher levels compared with a strain naturally found in the human gastrointestinal tract.
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