Survival of L. casei DG (Lactobacillus paracasei CNCMI1572) in the gastrointestinal tract of a healthy paediatric population.

Purpose: Ability to survive the digestive process is a major factor in determining the effectiveness of a probiotic. In this study, the ability of the probiotic L. casei DG (Lactobacillus paracasei CNCMI1572) to survive gastrointestinal transit in healthy children was investigated for the first time.

Methods: Twenty children aged 3-12 years received L. casei DG as drinkable solution of 1 × 10 colony forming units (CFU), once daily for 7 consecutive days. Recovery in faecal samples was evaluated at baseline and at different time-points during and after administration. Defecation frequency, faeces consistency, digestive function and product safety were also assessed.

Results: Nineteen (95%) of the 20 enrolled children presented viable L. casei DG cells in their faeces at least once during the study, with a maximum count (mean 4.3 log CFU/g ± 2.3) reached between day 4 and 6 from the beginning of consumption. Notably, for 11 (57.9%) of the 19 children with viable cells, L. casei DG survived in faecal samples up to 3 days after treatment end. Defecation frequency, faeces consistency and digestive function did not change considerably during or after study treatment. Safety of the study product was very good.

Conclusions: This study showed for the first time that L. casei DG survives the gastrointestinal transit when ingested by children with a paediatric probiotic drinkable solution containing 1 × 10 CFU, and persists in the gut up to 3 days after the end of product intake, demonstrating resistance to gastric juices, hydrolytic enzymes and bile acids.