Probiotics may help combat cold: study

Researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Health Related Professions (UMDNJ-SHRP) tested a group of 198 university students living in close quarters during a cold outbreak.

College students are notoriously sleep-deprived, live in close quarters and lead stress-filled lives, making them especially susceptible for contracting colds and upper-respiratory infections.

Researchers selected this population to study the effects of probiotic supplementation on health-related quality of life (HRQL) during the common cold.

Tracey J Smith, an adjunct professor at UMDNJ-SHRP, randomised the students aged 18 to 25 in a first of its kind research.

Groups received either a placebo (97 students) or a powder blend containing probiotic strains BB-12 and LGG for 12 weeks.

Each day, students completed a survey to assess the effect of the probiotic supplementation.

"HRQL is subjectively assessed by the patient and most simply defined as 'the component of overall quality of life that is determined primarily by the person's health and that can be influenced by clinical interventions,'" Smith said.

"We know that certain probiotic strains support immune health and may improve health-related quality of life during upper-respiratory infections," says Smith.

The study found that while all students caught colds at roughly the same rate, the students who took the probiotic supplementation experienced a duration of colds that was two days shorter (four days vs six days).

They experienced symptoms that were 34 per cent less severe and a higher quality of life that resulted in fewer missed school days (15 vs 34).

"Probiotic microorganisms may soften your immune system's reaction by reducing your body's inflammatory response.

"If cost is not an issue, then otherwise healthy persons who are especially stressed, sleep-deprived or living in close quarters [such as a college dormitory] could supplement daily during cold season with both LGG and BB12 to improve their quality of life if/when they do get a cold," says Smith.