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Cited by 107Probiotics and Fermented FoodsGut microbiota and healthInfant Nutrition and Health

Probiotic viability–does it matter?

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Lahtinen, Sampo J.·2012·Microbial Ecology in Health & Disease
DOI 10.3402/mehd.v23i0.18567PMC PMC3747757
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Abstract

Probiotics are viable by definition, and viability of probiotics is often considered to be a prerequisite for the health benefits. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of clinical studies in the field have been performed with viable probiotics. However, it has also been speculated that some of the mechanisms behind the probiotic health effects may not be dependent on the viability of the cells and, therefore, is also possible that also non-viable probiotics could have some health benefits. The efficacy of non-viable probiotics has been assessed in a limited number of studies, with varying success. While it is clear that viable probiotics are more effective than non-viable probiotics and that, in many cases, viability is indeed a prerequisite for the health benefit, there are also some cases where it appears that non-viable probiotics could also have beneficial effects on human health.

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  • Non-viable probiotic strains may not provide beneficial health effects and may cause harm if improperly stored or managed.

    “Viability is also important for probiotic safety, as non-viable strains may not provide beneficial health effects and may cause harm if improperly stored or managed [137].”

    From Current Concepts in Probiotic Safety and Efficacy (2026) · cites this paper as [137]

    The Abstract and Conclusions say that viable probiotics are generally more effective and that viability is required for a health benefit in many cases, supporting the possibility that non-viable strains may not provide a benefit. They also note that some non-viable preparations may be beneficial. The passages do not support the claim that non-viable strains may cause harm if improperly stored or managed; the Conclusions mention storage only in relation to cells becoming dormant or dead. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Administration form influences probiotic survival; some formulations provide better protection from gastric acidity and ensure higher strain viability at the site of action.

    “Administration form also influences probiotic survival: some formulations provide better protection from gastric acidity and ensure higher strain viability at the site of action [138].”

    From Current Concepts in Probiotic Safety and Efficacy (2026) · cites this paper as [138]

    The Mechanisms section discusses how viable and heat-killed probiotics differ in intestinal localization, but not whether administration forms protect probiotics during gastric passage. Searches for gastric acidity, formulations, coatings, and encapsulation found no passage comparing protection or viability at the site of action; the low-pH reference alone does not establish that claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 44

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Authors
Lahtinen, S. J.
Affiliations
DuPont (Finland) (FI)
Corresponding author
Lahtinen, Sampo J.
Venue
Microbial Ecology in Health & Disease
Publisher
Co-Action Publishing
Published
2012-06-18
Volume
23
Issue
0
ISSN
  • 0891-060X (ISSN-L)
  • 1651-2235
DOI
10.3402/mehd.v23i0.18567
PMC
PMC3747757
OpenAlex
W2137273627
Cited by
107
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3
FWCI
4.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Infant Nutrition and Health
Keywords
probiotics, probiotic viability, probiotic efficacy

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