The UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition will start a study today to determine if taking probiotics — microorganisms that help the body — has a positive impact on students experiencing academic stress.
According to the informed consent form, endorsed by IRB-01, the review board for the Health Science Center, the study lasts 49 days. It will examine cold and flu symptoms during final exams, study coordinator Amanda Ford said.
“From Thanksgiving on, you see a lot of cold symptoms,” Ford said. “We want to see if
giving a probiotic will reduce the number of cold and flu days.”
There are four groups with separate start dates. The first group starts today.
Each participant will be randomly assigned to one of the four groups, three with different types of probiotics and one with placebo capsules, Ford said.
Participants complete questionnaires for the first week of the study and, upon starting to take the capsules, will provide further information each day. They will take the capsules for six weeks, she said.
The probiotics involved in this study are Lactobacillus helveticus R0052, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis R0033 and Bifidobacterium bifidum R0071. The placebo capsules contain no medicine.
Nutrition sophomore Jane Eur, 19, is volunteering to help the study run smoothly. Her tasks include handing out fliers and scheduling appointments.
Eur said she hopes to gain research experience through her involvement.
“It was a stepping stone to get into bigger research things,” Eur said.
