Young women’s skin benefits from milk fermented with probiotic dairy starter

Lately, researchers focused on using probiotic bacteria to address various skin diseases and other disorders. Japanese scientists have found that milk fermented with a probiotic dairy starter can also benefit the skin of young women, according to a new study.

The research was published in Journal of Dairy Science.

Food and Agriculture Organization-World Health Organization defines probiotics as “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host.”

Lead investigator Hiromi Kimoto-Nira, PhD, of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science (NILGS), Tsukuba, Japan comments: “Although many reports have addressed the effect of lactic acid bacteria on skin properties in subjects with skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, few studies have involved healthy humans.”

In a randomized double-blind trial, investigators evaluated the effects of fermented milk resulted from using Lactococcus lactis strain H61 as a starter medium. Researchers examined the general health and various properties of young women’s skin. The H61 strain has been used in Japan for the last 50 years to produce fermented dairy products.

Four weeks into the trial, skin hydration of tested women improved, with increased content of sebum in the group of women who received H61-fermented milk.

“Season-associated effects are an important factor in skin condition,” added Kimoto-Nira. “Skin disorders such as psoriasis and senile xerosis tend to exacerbate in winter. Melanin provides varying degrees of brown coloration at the skin surface, and melanin content is affected by internal and external factors, such as age, race, and sunlight exposure.”

Parameters such as blood count and serum remained identidical and in expected normal ranges, same as oxidative status regardless whether women had yogurt or fermented milk.

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