December 9/Food Weekly Focus -- "This study aimed to evaluate the effect of milk fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus 145 and Bifidobacterium longum BB536 on plasma lipids in a sample of adult women. A double-blind, placebo controlled, cross-over study (two periods of four weeks each separated by a one-week washout period) was performed in 34 women, aged between 18 and 65 years," scientists writing in the Journal of Dairy Research report.
"Group A consumed 125g fermented milk three times a day for the first four weeks, while group B consumed regular yoghurt under the same conditions. (Groups A and B switched products for the second treatment period). Women taking the test product with a baseline total cholesterol above 190mg/dl showed a significant reduction in LDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol was also reduced by the test product," wrote S. Andrade and colleagues, University of Porto.