Morinaga Milk study links bifidobacteria to lower inflammatory responses

Morinaga Milk has published insights on how bifidobacteria could help regulate inflammatory responses. It found that having a higher amount of the bacteria in the gut was linked to immune cells being less likely to show inflammatory responses. 

Additionally, the immune cells that were exposed to bifidobacteria-derived components were less likely to show excessive responses to inflammatory stimuli.

The findings suggest that having a high amount of bifidobacteria in the gut could impact the inflammatory responses of immune cells and help with their regulation.

The company states that recent studies have reported that persistent low-grade inflammation, often referred to as chronic inflammation, is associated with aging and may contribute to a range of diseases.

“These findings suggest that bifidobacteria may help maintain a balanced inflammatory response and, in turn, support the maintenance of health.”

Gut microbiota variety

Published in iScience, the study analyzed blood samples from 50 healthy adults and generated monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) from blood monocytes.

The company explains that moDCs are “dendritic-cell-like immune cells generated by culturing blood monocytes under specific conditions.” These produce inflammation-related substances in response to stimuli such as bacteria, making them useful in studying the inflammatory responsiveness of immune cells.

Morinaga Milk’s research involved isolating monocytes from the blood of healthy adults into moDCs to evaluate their inflammatory responses to bacterial stimulation.

When in contact with bacteria, researchers observed that the cells produced an inflammation-related substance.When in contact with bacteria, researchers observed that the cells produced an inflammation-related substance, which is used when studying the inflammatory response of immune cells.

The moDCs were stimulated using either B. longum or Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, and the researchers investigated whether the differences in cell responses were linked to the differences in the gut microbiota.

They found that having an abundance of bifidobacteria was associated with the inflammatory responsiveness of the moDCs.

“Participants with a higher relative abundance of bifidobacteria in the gut tended to have moDCs that produced lower levels of IL-6, IL-8, and other inflammation-related substances, suggesting lower inflammatory responsiveness,” says Morinaga Milk.

The researchers also used cell-based experiments to examine whether the bifidobacteria components could alter the moDCs’ inflammatory response. They found that the moDCs that had been exposed to bifidobacteria-derived components produced a lower level of inflammation-related substances.

Beyond gut health benefits

Bifidobacteria are known to have multiple gut health benefits, but Morinaga Milk’s findings indicate that they may also benefit the immune system to help regulate excessive inflammatory responses.

The company recently published a study that revealed combining its B. longum BB536, healthier diets, and exercise contributed to an estimated 2.2% slower pace of biological aging in overweight men. Participants in the randomized controlled trial consumed BB536 in 100 g of plain yogurt every day for three months, combined with healthier diets and regular exercise.

“Aging is influenced by many factors, including chronic inflammation. We believe that the present findings provide an important foundation for further understanding how bifidobacteria may contribute to maintaining human health, including their potential role in modulating inflammatory responses linked to aging,” states the company.

“Morinaga Milk will continue to investigate how bifidobacteria influence inflammatory responses and pursue research and development aimed at future product applications that support human health.”