Dr. Riina Kekkonen is one of the authors contributing to LGG Summatim, a newly abridged book summarising the key health benefits and research supporting Lactobacilllus rhamnosus GG. Riina is currently Development Manager for Fermented Dairy Products at Valio R&D.

Valio’s expertise in probiotics has always been based on science. Ever since Valio licensed the rights to the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG strain back in 1987, we have invested extensively in research on its properties and health benefits, in studies initiated and conducted by Valio R&D. At the same time, Valio has opened the door to other researchers and research institutes in studying the strain. Today we are delighted to report that there are more than 530 original articles published in peer reviewed scientific journals, many times more than for any other probiotic strain, and their number is growing at a rate of more than 50 a year.

In today’s world of real time information it’s easy for anybody to search the Internet for the number of published articles, using the PubMed database which records all research in the field of medical science. In mid-August 2010, a search on the keyword “Lactobacillus GG” returned 518 hits, significantly more than for any other probiotic strain.

Research on the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG probiotic strain can be classified e.g. into those on the genome and properties of the strain itself, safety studies, mechanistic studies, and examinations of the health benefits. There are more than 160 clinical studies published on Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and these clearly show the benefits of the strain in the prevention and treatment of diarrhoea, improving immunity, decreasing respiratory infections, and many other factors. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is the most extensively studied probiotic and in many cases has also pioneered further avenues for research.

In order to assist our licensees and partners, Valio has prepared several types of summary concerning research on Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, which are naturally available to our licensees on request. The most significant of these is a book entitled LGG Summatim, a fully revised edition of which was published recently. Earlier versions of the book are available on our website at www.valio.com and have also been produced in Spanish.

There is no doubt that Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is and will continue to be the most researched probiotic strain going forward.