Habitual consumption of fermented milk products containing Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota and risk of anaemia in the elderly.

Anaemia in the elderly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and death. Probiotics have recently been shown to be potentially effective in preventing the onset or improving the condition of anaemia. Here, we retrospectively investigated the relationship between fermented milk intake over the prior 10 years and the risk of developing anaemia during the same period. The participants were community-dwelling Japanese aged 65-94 years who had not developed anaemia in the 10 years prior to the time of the survey. They were divided into two groups based on their intake frequency (<3 or ≥3 days/week, n = 1,186 and n = 238, respectively) of fermented milk products containing Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota (LcS products) for the prior 10 years. The incidence and risk of anaemia in the participants were analysed using chi-squared test and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. The results indicated that incidence of anaemia over the 10-year interval was significantly lower in those who took LcS products ≥3 rather than <3 days/week (anaemia incidence: 0.8% vs 4.0%, P = 0.016). Furthermore, multivariable analysis using Cox proportional hazards regression to adjust for potential confounders also showed a significantly lower relative risk of developing anaemia in the group consuming LcS products ≥3 days/week (hazard ratio 0.219; 95% confidence interval 0.053-0.902; P = 0.035). These findings suggest that habitual consumption of LcS products on ≥3 days/week by individuals 65 years or older may reduce their risk of developing anaemia.