Probiotics Improve Liver Health

VRP Staff

Men who supplemented with probiotics reduced the intestinal absorption of aflatoxin, a toxin commonly found in foods such as peanuts, corn and grains that is a risk factor for liver cancer.

Aflatoxin is produced by some strains of the mold Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. In vitro and animal studies indicate that strains of probiotic bacteria can form tight complexes with aflatoxin and other carcinogens. Consequently, scientists decided to conduct a human study to determine whether administration of probiotic bacteria could block the intestinal absorption of aflatoxin B(1) and thereby lead to reduced urinary excretion of an aflatoxin metabolite that is a marker for a potentially damaging dose of aflatoxin exposure. Elevated urinary excretion of this aflatoxin metabolite is associated with an increased risk of liver cancer.

Ninety healthy young men in China were randomly assigned to 2 groups. One group received a mixture of Lactobacillus and other strains of probiotics two times per day for 5 weeks. The other group received a placebo preparation. The subjects provided 4 urine samples: at baseline, at weeks 3 and 5 after starting the supplementation, and at the end of the 5-weeks’ postintervention period.

The percentage of samples without the aflatoxin marker tended to be higher in the probiotic group than in the placebo group during the 5-week intervention period. In addition, a statistically significant decrease in the concentration of the urinary aflatoxin marker (36 percent at week 3 and 55 percent at week 5) was observed in the probiotic group.

The results led the researchers to conclude “A probiotic supplement reduces the biologically effective dose of aflatoxin exposure and may thereby offer an effective dietary approach to decrease the risk of liver cancer.”

Reference:
El-Nezami HS, Polychronaki NN, Ma J, Zhu H, Ling W, Salminen EK, Juvonen RO, Salminen SJ, Poussa T, Mykkanen HM. Probiotic supplementation reduces a biomarker for increased risk of liver cancer in young men from Southern China. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 May;83(5):1199-203.