-This study aimed to clarify the influence of dietar y habits and the daily intake of fermented milk product containing Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult, 1 0 × 1010 cfu/100 mL/day on bowel habits in healthy young Japanese women. To clarify the interaction of a fermented milk product containing Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult, 1 0 × 1010 cfu/100 mL/day, and food intake on bowel habits in healthy young Japanese women. A total of 150 female university students participated in this study.They recorded the amount of food intake using a food-frequency questionnaire FFQ during the pre-experiment period and bowel habits in a diary during the study. After the exclusion of 30 subjects who defecated ever y day, 120 subjects were randomly divided two groups.Pre experiment they recorded the amount of food intake using food-frequency questionnaire FFQ and bowel habits. After excluded 30 subjects who defecated every day, we divided two groups. We conducted an open cross-over

Objective: We studied effects of fermented milk fortified with 200 µg of folic acid (FF milk) on serum folate levels in Japanese female university students.Methods: Adopting FF milk as an intervention factor, a randomized controlled trial stratified by the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T genetic polymorphism was conducted in 143 university female students. Experimental group subjects were requested to consume FF milk for 4 weeks; control group subjects to consume usual meals. Dietary surveys were conducted using a food frequency questionnaire, and serum folate concentrations were analyzed adopting a chemiluminescence immunoassay. Utilizing oral mucous membrane swabs, MTHFR genotypes were determined with polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Paired t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficient, chi-square test, or Fisher's exact probability test was applied as appropriate.