A probiotic formulation of three strains of Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum KABP-011, 012, and -013) may help to reduce elevated LDL and total cholesterol levels in people with hypercholesteremia, according to recent findings. The proprietary formulation used is marketed as Cardio Probiotic by Kaneka Probiotics.
 
The results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial which was published in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN (European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism). The trial took place over a period of 12 weeks, in which a group of 91 people were administered either a placebo or a daily dose of 100mg of the triple-strain blend, which amounted to 1.2 billion CFUs per day.
 
The results of the study demonstrated that Cardio Probiotic had favorable effects on both LDL and total cholesterol which significantly outweighed minimal changes seen in the placebo arm of the group. The cholesterol-lowering effect associated with supplementation was also more pronounced in subjects that had higher LDL cholesterol concentrations at baseline.

In total, the supplementation group saw an average decrease in LDL cholesterol concentrations of -13.9 mg/dl, compared to a decrease of 2.7 ng/dl seen in the placebo group. When it came to total cholesterol, the supplementation group saw a decrease of 7.7 mg/dl, compared to an increase of 1.2 ng/dl seen in the placebo group, on average. Meanwhile, no significant effects were observed on HDL cholesterol or on triglycerides concentrations. 
 
Cardio probiotic now has 4 published clinical trials demonstrating benefits through plasma lipid analysis. “Our Cardio strains are very potent producers of bile salt hydrolase enzyme, which is one of the key mechanisms mediating cholesterol decline,” Mike Kolifrath, vice president of sales and marketing of Kaneka’s probiotics division, said. “This is not a trait shared by all probiotics, so we are confident that innovative brands will incorporate Cardio into their cardiovascular formulations.”