Association between habitual intake of fermented milk products containing lactic acid bacteria and all-cause mortality: a community-based cohort prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Dairy product consumption is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. However, the evidence regarding probiotic-fermented milk products remains unclear. This study examined the association between the intake of fermented milk products containing lactic acid bacteria, including Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota (LcS), and all-cause mortality. METHODS: A total of 1,280 community-dwelling Japanese aged ≥65 years (519 men, 761 women; mean age 73.5 years) were included in the analyses. Participants were categorized in two groups based on the retrospectively recalled intake frequency of fermented milk products (<3 or ≥3 days/week) over 5- and 10-year periods. All-cause mortality risk was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression analyses in the full sample and propensity score-matched subsamples. RESULTS: During the 9.3-year follow-up period (112.05 months), deaths occurred in 147 men (28.3%) and 114 women (15.0%). Among men, consumption of fermented milk products containing LcS for ≥3 days/week over five years was significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in both full sample analysis (hazard ratio [HR] 0.648, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.438-0.958, p = 0.030) and matched analysis (HR 0.640, 95% CI 0.434-0.943, p = 0.024), compared with those consuming <3 days/week. Similar associations were observed for overall fermented milk products, including the LcS products. No associations were found among women for either LcS or overall fermented milk products. CONCLUSION: Habitual intake of fermented milk products containing LcS was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in older Japanese men.