Thermogenesis by lactobacillus plantarum No. 14 in Japanese subjects

Abstract

The effects of single administration of Lactobacillus plantarum No. 14 (LP14) on human body temperature and factors related to sympathetic nerves were measured in a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study. LP14 significantly increased chest temperature (P < 0.05). The maximum difference in temperature between LP14 and placebo was 0.24 ± 0.24°C. Systolic blood pressure increased significantly, and arousal scores tended to increase in the LP14 group. The results of the Uchida-Kraepelin test indicated that LP14 elevated task performance. Our results demonstrated that LP14 induced thermogenesis in humans. We also examined the activity of the sympathetic nerves (SNA) innervating brown adipose tissue (BAT) in rats. The activity of BAT-SNA was significantly enhanced in the LP14 group. As LP14 changed factors associated with sympathetic nerves in humans and elevated sympathetic nerve activity in rats, sympathetic nerve activation appears to participate in thermogenesis elicited by LP14.