Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis GCL2505 (B. lactis GCL2505) is able to survive passage through the intestine and then proliferate, leading to an increase in the amount of gut bifidobacteria. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of B. lactis GCL2505 on abdominal visceral fat storage in overweight and mildly obese Japanese adults. This clinical study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparative trial performed for 12 weeks. Healthy Japanese subjects (N=137) with body mass indices ranging from 23 to 30 kg/m2 consumed either fermented milk containing B. lactis GCL2505 or a placebo every day, and then visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat areas were measured by computed tomography as the primary endpoints. The number of fecal bifidobacteria was also measured. Visceral fat area, but not subcutaneous fat area, was significantly reduced from baseline at 8 and 12 weeks in the GCL2505 group, compared with the placebo group. The total number of fecal bifidobacteria was significantly increased in the GCL2505 group. These results indicate that B. lactis GCL2505 reduces abdominal visceral fat, a key factor associated with metabolic disorders. This finding suggests that this probiotic strain can potentially serve as a specific functional food to achieve visceral fat reduction in overweight or mildly obese individuals.

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis GCL2505 (B. lactis GCL2505) is able to survive passage through the intestines and proliferate. The daily dynamics of the intestinal bifidobacteria following ingestion of probiotics are not yet clear. Moreover, the effects of long-term ingestion of probiotics on the intestinal microbiota have not been well studied. Two experiments were performed in the present study. In Experiment 1, 53 healthy female volunteers received B. lactis GCL2505; B. bifidum GCL2080, which can survive but not proliferate in the intestine; or yogurt fermented with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus for 2 weeks, and the daily dynamics of intestinal bifidobacteria were investigated. The number of fecal bifidobacteria significantly increased on day 1, and this was maintained until day 14 in the B. lactis GCL2505 ingestion group. However, no significant change in the number of fecal bifidobacteria was observed in the other groups throughout the ingestion period. In Experiment 2, 38 constipated volunteers received either B. lactis GCL2505 or a placebo for 8 weeks. Both the number of fecal bifidobacteria and the frequency of defecation significantly increased throughout the ingestion period in the B. lactis GCL2505 ingestion group. These results suggested that the proliferation of ingested bifidobacteria within the intestine contributed to a rapid increase in the amount of intestinal bifidobacteria and subsequent maintenance of these levels. Moreover, B. lactis GCL2505 improved the intestinal microbiota more effectively than non-proliferating bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria.