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Probiotic supplementation reduces a biomarker for increased risk of liver cancer in young men from Southern China^1,3

¹ From the Department of Clinical Nutrition and Food and Health Research Centre (HSE, NNP, and HMM) and the Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology (ROJ), University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland; the Department of Clinical Nutrition, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China (JM, HZ, WL); the Department of Oncology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland (EKS); Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland (SJS); and STAT-Consulting, Tampere, Finland (TP).

Background: In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that selected strains of probiotic bacteria can form tight complexes with aflatoxin B₁ and other carcinogens.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine whether administration of probiotic bacteria could block the intestinal absorption of aflatoxin B₁ and thereby lead to reduced urinary excretion of aflatoxin B₁-N⁷-guanine (AFB-N⁷-guanine), a marker for a biologically effective dose of aflatoxin exposure. Elevated urinary excretion of this aflatoxin-DNA adduct is associated with an increased risk of liver cancer.

Design: Ninety healthy young men from Guangzhou, China, were randomly assigned to 2 groups; one group received a mixture of Lactobacillus rhamnosus LC705 and Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii strains 2 times/d for 5 wk, and the other group received a placebo preparation. The subjects provided 4 urine samples: at baseline, at 3 and 5 wk after starting the supplementation, and at the end of the 5-wk postintervention period.

Results: The percentage of samples with negative AFB-N⁷-guanine values tended to be higher in the probiotic group than in the placebo group during the 5-wk intervention period (odds ratio: 2.63, P = 0.052), and a statistically significant decrease in the concentration of urinary AFB-N⁷-guanine was observed in the probiotic group. The reduction was 36% at week 3 and 55% at week 5. The geometric means for the probiotic and placebo groups were 0.24 and 0.49 ng AFB-N⁷-guanine/mL, respectively, during the intervention period (P = 0.005).

Conclusion: 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.

Key Words: Probiotic bacteria • aflatoxins • aflatoxin B₁-N⁷-guanine • supplementation • young men • liver cancer

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				K. Hatakka, M. Mutanen, R. Holma, M. Saxelin, and R. Korpela Lactobacillus rhamnosus LC705 Together with Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp shermanii JS Administered in Capsules Is Ineffective in Lowering Serum Lipids J. Am. Coll. Nutr., August 1, 2008; 27(4): 441 - 447. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]