Calcium Plus Probiotics Help to Reduce Cholesterol Levels

Previously, a number of studies have shown calcium supplementation to be an effective way to manage blood lipids, specifically cholesterol. As well, a growing body of evidence supports the potential health benefits of probiotic bacteria. Ulrike Trautvetter, from Friedrich Schiller University (Germany), and colleagues enrolled 34 men and women with moderately elevated blood cholesterol levels, for a study in subjects were divided into two groups: one group was provided with a probiotic drink containing 10 billion colony forming units (CFUs) per day of Lactobacillus paracasei; the second group received the probiotic drink plus 1 gram of a calcium phosphate dietary supplement. Participants ingested their respective interventions for four weeks; engaged in a two-week washout period (no supplementation); then received a placebo for two weeks; then, they swapped interventions for another four weeks. The researchers found that combining calcium phosphate with the probiotic enhanced the colonization of Lactobacillus in the gut, thereby significantly reduced total and LDL cholesterol levels.  The team concludes that:” The combined supplementation … decreases plasma LDL-cholesterol and the LDL/HDL ratio in healthy, moderately hypercholesterolemic men and women.”