Across 3 studies, all reported beneficial small to moderate effects of Lactobacillus reuteri NCIMB 30242 on reducing blood cholesterol. The predominant effect size is small. The most direct evidence comes from a randomized controlled trial in hypercholesterolemic adults (n=127) showing a 9.14% reduction in total cholesterol relative to placebo (p<0.001). Doses were not clearly specified across studies.
Caveats: Available evidence is overwhelmingly positive — clinical literature in this area is subject to publication bias (null-result studies are less likely to be published or indexed). Evidence base is small (only 3 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. The most direct RCT used a dose not reported in the abstract, and the meta-analyses included multiple L. reuteri strains; the beneficial effect specific to NCIMB 30242 is derived from subgroup analyses.
total cholesterol by 9.14% (P<0.001) relative to placebo.
Strain subgroup analysis showed that L. reuteri NCIMB 30242 significantly reduced TC and LDL-C.
significantly reducing LDL-C and total cholesterol
LRC supplementation could alleviate the serum cholesterol level by inhibiting the intracellular cholesterol synthesis, and augmenting excretion of intestinal cholesterol.