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Background: It is well known that maternal diet affects the development of offspring. Herein, the relationship between maternal intake of fermented foods during pregnancy and offspring development was investigated. Methods: The diet of 103,060 pregnant women at >4 months of gestation who were enrolled in the Japan Environment and Children's Study was analyzed. Their intake levels of fermented soybeans (miso and natto), yogurt, and cheese were investigated. The developmental status of the offspring at 3 years of age was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the risk of maternal intake levels of the fermented foods associated with subsequent developmental delay in the offspring. Results: Intake of cheese was associated with a reduced risk of child developmental delay in all intake level groups from the second quartile onward. Intakes of miso and yogurt were associated with a reduced risk of developmental delay in communication skills in the fourth quartile. There was no association between intake of natto and developmental delay. Conclusion: Maternal consumption of fermented foods during pregnancy may reduce the risk of later developmental delay in offspring. It is therefore important to review the mother's diet for fermented foods during pregnancy. However, further studies are warranted to evaluate the factors influencing the association between diet and offspring development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Fermented foods play an important role in establishing intestinal bacterial flora, and the composition of the intestinal bacterial flora might be associated with neurodevelopment. This study investigated the association between maternal intake of fermented foods during pregnancy and early neurodevelopment in offspring. Methods and Study Design: Data were analyzed for 73,522 pregnant women participating in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. Their intake of four common fermented foods during pregnancy was assessed using a semi-quantitative FFQ. Neurodevelopment in their infants at 1 year of age was estimated using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires. Results: Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that maternal intake of miso soup and fermented soybeans was each associated with a significantly reduced risk of delay in infant communication skills. Maternal intake of fermented soybeans and cheese was each associated with a significantly reduced risk of delay in fine motor skills in the third and fourth quartiles. For problem-solving, preventive associations were observed with maternal intake of fermented soybeans in the second and third quartiles and with maternal intake of cheese in the third and fourth quartiles. Maternal intake of yogurt was associated with a significantly reduced risk of delay in personal-social skills in the third and fourth quartiles, while that of cheese was associated with a reduced risk in the third quartile. No reductions in risk were observed for gross motor skills. Conclusions: Our results suggest that fermented food intake during pregnancy may have beneficial associations with several areas of psychomotor development in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Chronic inflammation and insulin resistance are factors that are related to obesity. We have suggested that the administration of heat-treated Lactobacillus plantarum OLL2712 (OLL2712) cells can improve glucose and lipid metabolism by suppressing chronic inflammation in mouse models and a preliminary clinical study. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate whether ingesting OLL2712 cells can reduce body fat accumulation and improve metabolic risk factors, in overweight, healthy adults. Methods This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial conducted at a single center in Japan. The study participants included 100 overweight (BMI range, ≥25 to <30 kg/m2) adults aged 20–64 y. They were randomly assigned to either the placebo or OLL2712 group (n  = 50 each) and were administered conventional yogurt or yogurt containing >5 × 109 heat-treated OLL2712 cells, respectively, daily for 12 wk. The primary outcome was the 12-wk change in the abdominal fat area, as assessed by computed tomography, and the secondary outcomes were glucose and lipid metabolism-related parameters and chronic inflammation markers, which were analyzed using a linear mixed model. Results The 12-wk change of abdominal fat area (difference: 8.5 cm2; 95% CI: 0.3, 16.6 cm2; P  = 0.040) and fasting plasma glucose (difference: 3.2 mg/dL; 95% CI: 0.8, 5.6 mg/dL; P  = 0.021) were significantly less in the OLL2712 group than the placebo group. The overall trend of serum IL-6 was significantly decreased in the OLL2712 group compared with baseline and the placebo group. Conclusions The ingestion of heat-treated OLL2712 cells reduces body fat accumulation and the deterioration of glycemic control and chronic inflammation, in overweight, healthy adults. We hypothesize that OLL2712 cells may prevent obesity by regulating chronic inflammation. This trial was registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry as UMIN000027709. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The important role played by intestinal bacterial flora in human health has recently attracted public attention worldwide. Although yogurt is thought to help in preventing the onset of gastroenteritis, this property has rarely been examined in epidemiological studies. Method: This study analyzed data obtained by the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. From a dataset of 103,062 pregnancies, 82,485 were selected for this analysis. Dietary intake of fermented foods (yogurt and cheese) in 1-year-old infants was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. Parent-reported physician-diagnosed gastroenteritis in early childhood was determined from a questionnaire conducted when the child was 1 year old. Result: The incidence of gastroenteritis was significantly lower in infants who consumed yogurt ≥ 7 and 3–6 times/week than in infants who consumed yogurt < 1 time/week in crude models (n = 82,485) and after adjustment for covariates (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.78 [0.70–0.86] versus 0.82 [0.76–0.89], respectively; n = 65,051). Frequency of weekly cheese consumption was not associated with the incidence of gastroenteritis. Conclusion: Consumption of yogurt, but not cheese, at 1 year of age was associated with a reduced risk of gastroenteritis. Further studies of this association, including interventional studies, are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactobionic acid was first found in a Caucasian fermented milk product popularly known as "Caspian Sea yogurt" in Japan. The presence of lactobionic acid in the fermented milk was indicated by the results of both high-performance anion-exchange chromatographic analysis with pulsed amperometric detection and mass spectrometric analysis. Thereafter, the acid was purified from the yogurt and analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance. A substantial amount of lactobionic acid was found to be accumulated in the upper layer of the yogurt, especially within 10 mm from the surface. A total of 45 mg of lactobionic acid per 100 g of the upper yogurt layer was collected after 4 d of fermentation. The annual intake of lactobionic acid in individuals consuming 100 g of the yogurt every day would be 0.5 to 1.0 g. A lactose-oxidizing bacterium was isolated from the fermented milk and was identified as Acetobacter orientalis. Washed A. orientalis cells oxidized monosaccharides such as D-glucose at considerable rates, although their activities for substrates such as lactose, maltose, and cellobiose were much lower. When A. orientalis cells were cultivated in cow's milk, they exhibited lactose-oxidizing activity, suggesting that this bacterium was the main organism involved in the production of lactobionic acid in the yogurt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the potential benefits of yogurt by researchers from Japan. Assessment on the effect of partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) in yogurt on the elevation of postprandial serum lipid levels; Potency of the suppressive effects of the dietary fiber in yogurt; Suggestion from the reserachers on the potential of PHGG to reduce the risk of hyperlipemia.