In a previous post I listed 20 of the 30 probiotic cultures that make up kefir.
L. casei is one of the more familiar ones. A paper was published recently about some test results of L. casei.
Shida K., Makino K., Morishita A., Takamizawa K., Hachimura S., Ametani A., Sato T., Kumagai Y., Habu S. & Kaminogawa S. (1998):
Lactobacillus casei inhibits antigen-induced IgE secretion through regulation of cytokine production in murine splenocyte cultures.
Int Arch Allergy Immunol 115 (4) : 278-87.
This study on Mice splenocytes in vitro, is the first demonstration that a nonpathogenic micro-organism, L.casei, can inhibit antigen-induced IgE production. The findings suggest a potential use of this organism in preventing IgE-mediated allergy.
Now remember that I am not a doctor or microbiologist. But I am pretty sure that this means that L. casei inhibits the production of the immunoglobulin IgE which is an antibody produced to fight the antigens of undangerous foreign matter. In other words stop allergies. An allergy is a condition when our body's immune system launches an attack on a foreign substance in our bodies that doesn't do us any harm. For instance a food allergy or a particle of pollen.
There are many studies taking place all over the world on probiotic cultures. I said before that in my opinion we will enter a probiotic revolution in the coming years. I hope so, not only because it may help sell kefir, but because it will be a safe way to battle disease without chemicals.
Mark
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