Research studies done in Japan discovered that heat-killed Lactobacillus Plantarum L-137 can bring about plenty of health benefits and in addition is highly effective at boosting immunity.

The immune system in the body gets activated to protect the body from any form of viral and bacterial infections.  One of the key to effective immunity is cellular immunity or also known as cell mediated immunity. When white blood cells detects infection, IL-12 is produced. IL-12 modulates the dominant immune response towards Th1. This means that white blood cells are activated to destroy the infection from either viruses or bacteria that is present in the body.

Boosting our immune system, is a process that requires many factors. In Integrative medicine, physicians would recommend supplements that contain vitamins and minerals such as A C E extracts from medicinal mushrooms, yeast bark extracts such as Beta-glucan and several other natural medicaments that can help boost one’s immune system.

L-137 - Microorganism Lactobacillus Plantarum can assist to enhance the immune system.

Many scientific and medical researchers have been trying to find something that can be very effective in boosting the immune system. Recently in Japan, research scientist found a specific strain of microorganisms named L-137. Multitude of research studies and proven clinical results have shown that heat-killed Lactobacillus Plantarum L-137 has many beneficial effect such as boost immunity and also reduce inflammation in the body.

Due to the potency in fighting against infections, L-137 is now becoming more commonly in use. Lactobacillus Plantarum L-137 has received Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) certification, by Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) safety standards from countries such as Canada, USA, EU plus various countries in the Asia region under the food product category.

Apart from its long shelf-life of more than 5 years, research studies have also found that L-137 has a higher immune response compared to vitamin C, vitamin E or Beta-glucan and combination consumption can bring about added benefits.

The graphs above show the efficacy of L-137 compared to several common supplements. It has been found that L-137 is the most effective as compared to any of the immune-boosting vitamins mentioned above. This is because L-137 works directly on the small intestine and do not need to be absorbed into the bloodstream. It allows immune cells to respond by secreting IL-2 and INF-β to activate other immune cells, making it extremely effective.

The diagram above shows how L-137 response stimulates Natural Killer (NK) cells and Cytotoxic T cells to work more efficiently. By doing so, it can helps the body to eliminate viruses and cancer cells more effectively.

The diagram above shows a study done in Japan. The research data was gathered from a group of people with high work related stress. The study found that taking 10 mg of L-137 daily for 4 weeks increased the number of T cells by more than 50%. In addition, if taken for a continuous period of more than 8 weeks, it can reduce the chance of upper respiratory tract infections by 2 folds.

Reference: J Nutr Sci 2: e39, (2013)