Antonio G. García, Ana Terrén, Salvador Genovés, Juan F. Martinez-Blanch, Marcos Maroto, Empar Chenoll, Patricia Martorell, Daniel Ramón, Vanessa Illescas, Ángela Silva, Javier Morales, Nuria González, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital Universitario de La Princesa (IIS-IP), and Instituto Teófilo Hernando de I+D del Medicamento (ITH)
Pediatric obesity has a growing health and socio-economical impact due to cardiovascular and metabolic complications in adult life. Some recent studies suggest that live or heat-treated probiotics have beneficial effects in preventing fat deposition and obesity in preclinical and clinical sets. Here, we have explored the effects of heat-treated probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT 8145 (HT-BPL1), added as a supplement on an infant milk formula (HT-BPL1-IN), on Caenorhabditis elegans fat deposition and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and lactate, using fermented baby fecal slurries. We have found that HT-BPL1-IN significantly reduced fat deposition in C. elegans, at the time it drastically augmented the generation of some SCFAs, particulary acetate and organic acid lactate. Data suggest that heat-treated BPL1 maintains its functional activities when added to an infant powder milk formula., This research was supported by Cátedra UAM-Alter Nutrinfant, Madrid, Spain.