Health benefits of probiotic dahi, yoghurt: Take 200 grams of probiotic curd to fight high cholesterol levels, obesity

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: If you are obese and have high cholesterol level, just include 200 grams of 
probiotic curd in your daily diet. And within a fortnight, your cholesterol level will 
start showing a decline. Probiotic curd is the best natural source of nutrition with 
anti-cholesterol properties as compared with artificially prepared diets and medicines.

Researchers at the city-based National Institute of Nutrition have found that eating 
probiotic curd daily will greatly help those suffering from obesity and consequent high 
cholesterols in their blood. All that one has to do is to add a probiotic bacterium 
called Lactobacillus acidiphillus in the regular curd to obtain this magical health 
benefit. Alternatively, one can purchase probiotic curd containing this bacterium.

According to NIN scientists, obesity is a significant worldwide problem and about 50 
million overweight subjects live in India. The morbid obesity has reached epidemic 
proportions in the country affecting five per cent of the population. Overweight 
individuals have increased risk of health problems such as cardiovascular disease, 
hypertension, diabetes and lipid profile abnormalities.

The NIN team selected 30 obese people based on their body mass index (BMI). They were 
divided into two groups – one getting probiotic curd in their daily diet, the other 
eating the regular food. Blood samples were collected on the first day of the study and 
on the 15th day for analysis of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides and high-density 
lipoprotein (HDL).

“HDL is good cholesterol and it should be present in good quantity. Total cholesterol and 
triglycerides should be present within the limits. The lipid profile of an individual 
shows whether he or she is susceptible to major health issues like heart diseases, 
diabetes and stroke,” says senior scientist Dr MN Khaja.

The results are startling and high significant from the point of view of health. Those 
who took probiotic curd daily showed lower cholesterol levels. Their total cholesterol 
came down from 144 to 136.94. Those who consumed regular diet showed higher TC with the 
total cholesterol levels shooting up by 28. The TG levels also came down in obese people 
on probiotic curb supplementation from 157 to 120. Those who had regular diet showed an 
increase by 11.

“The high density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol levels tremendously and significantly 
increased from 34 to 38 after 15 days supplementation. There was a significant change in 
the lipid profile parameters in the obese subjects after supplementation with probiotic 
dahi,” the NIN study concluded.