Laktera & Antarctica
Scientific research of Laktera continues! Laktera is included in the only project in the field of medicine out of a total of 9 scientific projects that will be implemented during the 31st National Antarctic Expedition, led by Prof. Christo Pimpirev.
The probiotic foods Laktera have also been used under extreme conditions in the past. In the 1990s, with the permission of the General Staff of the Bulgarian Army, a study was carried out by a team from the Military Medical Academy, led by Prof. Alexandrov, among 56 Air Force pilots. Probiotic food, containing L. bulgaricus has been found to reduce total cholesterol and bad cholesterol, reduce triglycerides and increase good cholesterol, regulate blood sugar and humoral immunity. In 1996, a team from MMA, Sofia Medical University and Würzburg Medical University in Germany, under the leadership of Prof. Alexandrov, conducted a study of the effects of a probiotic food with L. Bulgaricus in the conditions of a simulated shipwreck near Shabla with 56 volunteers divided into two groups. The following beneficial effects were found in the volunteers who took the probiotic food – maintaining the body weight, arm muscle strength, maintaining the electrolyte balance and blood sugar levels. The probiotics Laktera have been used by the Bulgarian Army during the missions in Cambodia and Iraq.
On December 27, 2022, Laktera set sail for Antarctica. During the voyage, the members of the crew of the first Bulgarian vessel RV 421 Ss. Cyril and Methodius will take Laktera daily to study the effect of Lactobacillus bulgaricus DWT1 of water origin on the human health in these extreme conditions. The duration of the voyage is about 150 days.
The project studying the effects of Laktera is carried out by Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy together with MU “Prof. Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov„ and SU „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“. The topic of the project is „Study of the immunostimulating and protective effect of the probiotic foods, containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus in extreme stress situations during the upcoming trip, stay and return of our expedition to Antarctica on the Livingston Island“. The main objectives of the project are:
- To find out the therapeutic potential of Bulgarian probiotics, containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus for increasing the functional capabilities and the immune status of the body in volunteers, subjected to stress.
- To establish the potential of the probiotic food to serve as a protective factor or a kind of biological antidote in people placed in the conditions of an extreme physical and mental state.
The subject of the study – 20 sailors on the board of the vessel of Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy. They are divided into two groups of 10 people. The first group will take probiotic food Laktera at a dose of 15 g per day during the entire voyage and stay in Antarctica. The second group will not take Laktera.
All the participants in the research project will be tested for various biometrics: heart rate, breathing rate, blood oxygen, electrocardiogram, blood pressure, glycose levels, lipids, immune status, weight, bone mass, body fat, muscle mass, body fluids, body temperature, etc.
Also, the state of anxiety, depression and emotions, sleep quality and “burn out” syndrome will be examined by various psychological tests.
This project is expected to establish the effect of the probiotics Laktera on the human body for stimulating and maintaining the vital indicators when the body is subjected to extreme impact and stress. It is also expected to prove the efficacy of the Bulgarian probiotics, containing the first in the world strain of water origin Lactobacillus bulgaricus DWT1 under stress and social isolation.
