Are probiotics good for lowering cholesterol?

Probiotics are live microbes — such as yeast and bacteria — that can be consumed and have been shown to promote heath. Because of their health benefits, the microbes contained in probiotic products are sometimes referred to as “good’ microbes. Probiotics can be found in foods such as,

Kefir

Yoghurt

Kimchi

Other fermented foods

Additionally, there are many supplements available in health food stores that contain probiotics.

There are many strains of microbes included in probiotic products; however, the most commonly included microbes are those from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria species. There have been several studies that have examined the impact of taking probiotics on health. In studies conducted so far, probiotics have been shown to have many health benefits, including modestly lowering blood pressure, alleviating diarrhea caused by certain infections, improving immune health, and reducing symptoms associated with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Studies have also suggested that taking probiotics regularly may help keep your lipid levels healthy.

In human studies, probiotics have been taken in a variety of forms — from yoghurt to supplements in varying amounts and consisting of different strains — for a period of anywhere between 2 weeks and 6 months.

From these studies, it was noted that probiotics were able to decrease LDL by anywhere between 5 and 35 per cent. In most studies, HDL and triglyceride levels did not appear to be significantly affected. However, in a couple of studies, triglycerides were decreased by 11 per cent. In studies conducted so far, probiotics appeared to improve lipid levels in individuals who had mildly high cholesterol levels at the beginning of the study and those who took the probiotics for a longer period of time (greater than four weeks).

It is not completely known how probiotics may lower lipid levels, although there are several theories surrounding this. One thought is that probiotics cause bile, which contains cholesterol, to not be absorbed by the intestinal tract and subsequently eliminated in the faeces.

This causes cholesterol to be converted into new bile acids, thus lowering cholesterol levels in the blood. It is also thought that probiotics can directly bind to cholesterol in the small intestine.

There are currently no recommendations to include probiotic-containing products in your lipid lowering diet — including amount and type of probiotic culture to take since studies so far have widely varied. Although probiotics show promise, more research is needed before manufacturers can claim that probiotics lower lipids.