Study on Blood Cholesterol Improvement Functionality of Bifidobacterium breve IDCC 4401 Heat Treatment Culture Powder, a Health Functional Ingredient

Blood cholesterol is an item of national health examinations in Korea, which is one of the essential health indicators that healthy and semi-healthy people, who are not in the stage of taking medicine, also need to be managed by controlling their lifestyle. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, which are commonly used to lower blood cholesterol, have been reported to have various adverse events, and there are several factors limiting their application. As a result, semi-healthy and healthy people who do not have critical health issues may not be able to take these drugs. Bifidobacterium breve IDCC 4401 heat treatment culture powder (BBR4401) is a functional raw material obtained by heat-treating and killing the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve which is widely used as a functional raw material for improving intestinal health in foods and health functional foods. In addition, BBR4401 is a raw material with safety and stability which has been recognized for its cholesterol-improving functionality. Therefore, healthy and semi-healthy people who wish to manage their blood cholesterol can consume BBR4401 for prevention/management purposes. Furthermore, BBR4401 has an entirely different mechanism of action from HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors in that it inhibits the reabsorption of cholesterol/bile acids in the small intestine, meaning that even those who are taking HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors can consume BBR4401 to manage their blood cholesterol; this treatment combination is expected to provide a synergic effect in improving cholesterol.