Eating yogurt that contains probiotics may have beneficial effects in preventing respiratory viral infections.
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Korean scientists have investigated the burning question of whether probiotic yogurt can help the body fight covid and H1N1 swine flu. The experiment was carried out in two stages, first in cells cultured in vitro, then in rodents.
It turned out that the yogurt worked well in mice and hamsters. In the group of mice with influenza, which were given yogurt, mortality was reduced, the loss of body weight in the recovered patients was less than in the animals that were not given yogurt. The product worked on immunity: in mice, it increased the production of interferon-gamma and the immune response of antibodies. The lungs also suffered less from the disease. The condition of Syrian golden hamsters, who were sick with covid, but at the same time regularly fed yogurt, improved in terms of indicators similar to mice with influenza.
“Eating yogurt containing probiotics may have a beneficial effect in preventing respiratory viral infections,” the scientists conclude.
As microbiologist Ancha Baranova points out on her blog, the yogurt the scientists fed the experimental rodents was simply luxurious and contained a whole host of beneficial microorganisms, and in high doses (in the billions of colony-forming units). But with store-bought yogurts, this is unlikely to work.
“The fact is that the survival rate of bacterial spores in commercial yogurts is below the base,” writes the scientist. – Especially if you add some fruits to them, for flavor, or something else.
However, this experiment demonstrates the significant benefit that a healthy microflora of the stomach and intestines provides in the fight against infections. According to numerous studies, the microbiota (colonies of beneficial microorganisms) in the intestine also affects brain activity and heart function. The healthier and more diverse it is, the better all our body systems will work.
