In this study, a pool of 130 healthy adults that were prediabetic (HbA1c of 5.6–6.4% and fasting blood sugar concentration of 100–125 mg/dL) were equally divided into two groups (each consisting of 65 individuals), of which one was served a pack of yogurt containing MI-2 LAB (112 g of yogurt containing at least 5×109 cells of heat-treated MI-2 LAB) every day for 12 weeks while the other was served the same amount of yogurt at the same frequency simultaneously but without any MI-2 LAB in it.

The study yielded the following different results between the two groups.

(1) While the HbA1c concentration significantly declined in both groups after the 12-week study compared to before, the group that ingested the yogurt containing MI-2 LAB had a significantly larger decrease in HbA1c than the group that ingested the yogurt without any MI-2 LAB content (Figure 1).

(2) While the group that ingested the yogurt without any MI-2 LAB content showed a significant increase in insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) after the 12-week study compared to before, the group that ingested the yogurt containing MI-2 LAB maintained the same normal level of insulin resistance without any increase in their HOMA-IR readings (Figure 2).

Figure 1: Changes in HbA1c concentration

Figure 2: Changes in insulin resistance index

Period of study: July-December 2018
Subjects of efficacy analysis: 126 healthy adults aged 20-64 with HbA1c concentration of 5.6-6.4% and fasting blood sugar concentration of 100-125 mg/dL
*As MI-2 LAB is more anti-inflammatory when heat-treated than when the bacteria are alive, the clinical study was conducted with MI-2 LAB killed by heat treatment.
Source: Nutrients 2020,12(2),374