{"id":26855,"date":"2019-11-20T06:54:53","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T14:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/?p=26855"},"modified":"2021-09-20T09:18:20","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T16:18:20","slug":"s-thermophilus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/s-thermophilus\/","title":{"rendered":"Streptococcus Thermophilus Health Benefits + Precautions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>S. thermophilus<\/em> is a probiotic strain used in cheese and yogurt production. According to preliminary research, it can improve skin health, support immunity, alleviate GI symptoms, and more. However, available clinical evidence is scarce. This post reveals the potential benefits and side effects of <em>Streptococcus thermophilus<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_Streptococcus_thermophilus\"><a id=\"post-26855-_aebkjf2nh6rs\"><\/a><strong>What is <em>Streptococcus thermophilus<\/em>?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em>Streptococcus thermophilus<\/em> is a thermophilic <a href=\"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/probiotics-good-bacteria\/\">probiotic<\/a> bacterium traditionally and widely used as a starter in manufacturing dairy products such as cheese and yogurt.<\/p>\n<p>At birth, <em>S. thermophilus<\/em> is among the first colonizers of the GI tract and may impact the maturation and homeostasis of the intestinal epithelium after birth (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3060483\/\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Along with other probiotic bacteria, it regulates the immune response and inflammation via a number of different cytokines such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/interferon-gamma-how-to-increase-decrease-high-low-levels\/\">IFN-\u03b3<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19447974\">R<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2848370\/\"> R<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21887477\">R<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/supplements-lifestyle-factors-influence-tnf-interleukin-6-il-6\/\">TNF-\u03b1<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/27010963\">R<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9678170\">R<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23999014\"> R<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/interleukin-6\/\">IL-6<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/27010963\">R<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23999014\">R<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9678170\"> R<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/interleukin-1\/\">IL-1\u03b2<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/27010963\">R<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/selfdecode.com\/gene\/il2\/?utm_source=seo&amp;#38;utm_medium=selfhacked&amp;#38;utm_campaign=id00002\">IL-2<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/selfdecode.com\/gene\/il5\/?utm_source=seo&amp;#38;utm_medium=selfhacked&amp;#38;utm_campaign=id00002\">IL-5<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9678170\">R<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/il-8\/\">IL-8<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23999014\">R<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/il-10\/\">IL-10<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/20163626\">R<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19447974\"> R<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2848370\/\"> R<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/th17\/\">IL-17<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3196311\/\">R<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21887477\"> R<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Health_Benefits_of_S_thermophilus\"><a id=\"post-26855-_h3o9j46moihi\"><\/a><strong>Health Benefits of <em>S. thermophilus<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span id=\"Insufficient_Evidence\"><a id=\"post-26855-_bz0ibaigf30s\"><\/a>Insufficient Evidence:<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>No valid clinical evidence supports the use of S. thermophilus for any of the conditions in this section. Below is a summary of up-to-date animal studies, cell-based research, or low-quality clinical trials which should spark further investigation. However, you shouldn\u2019t interpret them as supportive of any health benefit.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"1_Skin_Health\"><a id=\"post-26855-_wd1w8jobp9m1\"><\/a><strong>1) Skin Health<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Ceramides play an essential role in the barrier and water-holding functions of healthy skin. A significant increase in skin ceramide levels was observed in 17 healthy subjects after treatment with <strong>a cream<\/strong> containing <em>S. thermophilus <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/10417626\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Topical treatment with an <em>S. thermophilus<\/em>-containing cream increased ceramide levels and hydration in the skin of 20 healthy elderly women (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/18336739\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The same treatment increased ceramide levels and improved the signs and symptoms of atopic dermatitis (i.e. redness, scaling, itching) in 11 patients (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/14705802\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><strong>The above trials lacked control groups and had small samples, so we should take their results with a grain of salt.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Animal_and_Cellular_Research_Lacking_Evidence\"><a id=\"post-26855-_6r8p6hmydaxh\"><\/a>Animal and Cellular Research (Lacking Evidence)<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>No clinical evidence supports the use of S. thermophilus for any of the conditions listed in this section. Below is a summary of the existing animal and cell-based studies; they should guide further investigational efforts but should not be interpreted as supportive of any health benefit.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"2_Lactose_Intolerance\"><a id=\"post-26855-_cf2sg0owdy21\"><\/a><strong>2) Lactose Intolerance<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Along with <a href=\"http:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/l-delbrueckii\/\"><em>L. delbrueckii<\/em><\/a><em>, S. thermophilus <\/em>improves lactose digestion in the gastrointestinal tract and reduces the symptoms of lactose intolerance, according to a study on mice (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3060483\/\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"3_Mucositis\"><a id=\"post-26855-_skl29ojlw3cy\"><\/a><strong>3) Mucositis <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In one study, <em>S. thermophilus<\/em> partially alleviated mucositis (inflammation of mucous membranes) induced by chemotherapy in rats (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/16627985\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>However, in another study, no protective effects were observed (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21508671\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>It partially prevented weight loss and slightly improved mucositis induced by doxorubicin (chemo) in rats (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23865592\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><em>S. thermophilus<\/em> significantly reduced intestinal mucositis severity in rats treated with a chemotherapy drug, 5-Fluorouracil (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19305160\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"4_Gastritis\"><a id=\"post-26855-_fvmbliayg3p5\"><\/a><strong>4) Gastritis<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Long-term aspirin use may cause gastritis. <em>S. thermophilus<\/em> reduced inflammation and prevented chronic gastritis in studies on aspirin-treated mice (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19447974\">R<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2848370\/\"> R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"5_IBD\"><a id=\"post-26855-_ututw3z09dwh\"><\/a><strong>5) IBD<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In studies on mice with <a href=\"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/ibd-ulcerative-colitis-crohn-genetics-lifestyle-stress-infections\/\">ulcerative colitis<\/a>, scientists observed the potential of <em>S. thermophilus<\/em> to (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/18838819\">R<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3196311\/\">R<\/a>):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Increase <a href=\"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/hematocrit\/\">hematocrit<\/a> and hemoglobin concentrations<\/li>\n<li>Improved acute colitis and intestinal lesions<\/li>\n<li>Suppress the Th17 immune response<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span id=\"6_Antibiotic-Associated_Diarrhea\"><a id=\"post-26855-_8fomqg8fdwr6\"><\/a><strong>6) Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The use of antibiotics increases the risk of <em>C. difficile<\/em> infection, which can result in diarrhea, colitis, and more serious complications [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6334067\/\">R<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Mice infected with <em>C. difficile<\/em> and treated with viable <em>S. thermophilus<\/em> had reduced <a href=\"http:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/a-comprehensive-list-of-effective-ways-to-lose-weight\/\">weight loss<\/a><strong>, <\/strong>diarrhea, and toxin levels (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3495789\/\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"7_Folate_and_Hemoglobin_Levels\"><a id=\"post-26855-_39mnwwmi8mu8\"><\/a><strong>7) Folate and Hemoglobin Levels<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/16-proven-benefits-vitamin-b9-folate-folic-acid\/\">Folate<\/a>-rich fermented milk produced by high-folate-producing <em>S. thermophilus<\/em> increases <a href=\"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/hemoglobin-good-bad-lab-tests-normal-values-reference-ranges\/\">hemoglobin<\/a> levels in mice (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21658908\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"8_Immunity\"><a id=\"post-26855-_hkle0g39zrv8\"><\/a><strong>8) Immunity<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>S. thermophilus<\/em> exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing the Th17 response in<a href=\"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-and-decrease-white-blood-cells\/\"> white blood cells<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21887477\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><em>S. thermophilus<\/em> stimulated macrophage and T-cell cytokine production in another cell-based study (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9678170\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>It promoted epithelial cell regeneration and immunological defense mechanisms in human stomach cells (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23999014\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"9_Oral_Health\"><a id=\"post-26855-_evc9bawyl1a4\"><\/a><strong>9) Oral Health<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In test tubes, <em>S. thermophilus<\/em> inhibited the growth of <em>P. gingivalis<\/em> and reduced the emission of volatile sulfur compounds that can cause bad breath (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25105253\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"10_Probiotic_Growth\"><a id=\"post-26855-_imw7kdjy15nn\"><\/a><strong>10) Probiotic Growth<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>S. thermophilus<\/em> is used in the production of yogurt alongside <em>Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus<\/em>. These two species are synergistic. <em>S. thermophilus<\/em> provides <em>L. d. bulgaricus<\/em> with folic and formic acid, while <em>L. d. bulgaricus <\/em>provides amino acids and peptides for the growth of <em>S. thermophilus<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4034325\/\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><em>S. thermophilus<\/em> also improves the viability of <a href=\"http:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/l-brevis\/\"><em>L. brevis<\/em><\/a> in milk (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4526857\/\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Side_Effects_and_Safety_Precautions\"><a id=\"post-26855-_jzsd9tgz74yd\"><\/a>Side Effects and Safety Precautions<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em>S. thermophilus<\/em> is widely used in the dairy industry and is considered safe for consumption.<\/p>\n<p>However, probiotics should be avoided in <strong>immunocompromised individuals, people with organ failure, and dysfunctional gut barrier<\/strong>, where they may cause infection [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/20208051\">R<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><em>S. thermophilus <\/em>can produce low amounts of biogenic amines: <a href=\"http:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/histamine\/\">histamine<\/a> and tyramine. Hence, people with <a href=\"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/deal-histamine\/\">histamine intolerance<\/a> should avoid probiotics and fermented foods (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23265537\">R<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/17490952\">R<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><em>S. thermophilus<\/em> is a probiotic strain used in cheese and yogurt production. According to preliminary research, it can improve skin health, support immunity, alleviate GI symptoms, and more. However, available clinical evidence is scarce. This post reveals the potential benefits and side effects of <em>Streptococcus thermophilus<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14185,"featured_media":55050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22,283],"tags":[279,280],"yst_prominent_words":[7969,19016,26090,26629,27178,26717,2514,27180,7961,24363,554,511,515,548,1630,7960,598,22872,27176,27179],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26855"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14185"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26855"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112953,"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26855\/revisions\/112953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26855"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=26855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}