Effects of Continuous Yogurt Intake on Immunomodulatory Function and Subjective Health Status in Healthy U.S. Adults

Saliva is collected by allowing naturally secreted saliva to passively drool into a sterile collection tube or vial without chewing or making oral movements. The time required to collect the specified volume of saliva is recorded. The salivary IgA flow rate is calculated by multiplying the salivary IgA level by the slivary flow rate.

The Jackson Cold Scale (self-reported) is used to assess symptom frequency, symptom severity, symptom duration, frequency of absenteeism from school/work, and duration of absenteeism from school/work.

The Jackson Cold Scale (JCS) is an assessment covering the past 24 hours of eight upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) symptoms using a four-point response range (0=absent, 1=mild, 2=moderate, and 3=severe). The total score is calculated by summing the eight symptom scores (sneezing, headache, malaise, chilliness, nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, sore throat and cough). Participants will complete this questionnaire for each day during the intervention period starting Day 0

Saliva is collected by allowing naturally secreted saliva to passively drool into a sterile collection tube or vial without chewing or making oral movements.

Saliva is collected by allowing naturally secreted saliva to passively drool into a sterile collection tube or vial without chewing or making oral movements. IgA concentration in saliva is measured using ELISA.

CD3, CD19, CD56, CD14, CD11c, CD123, CD304, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD45RO, CCR7, CD69, CD86, HLA-DR

GCSF, GM-CS, GRO alpha/beta/gamma, GRO alpha (CXCL1), IL-1 alpha, IL-2, IL-3, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8 (CXCL8), IL-10, IL-13, IL-15 IFN-gamma, MCP-1 (CCL2), MCP-2 (CCL8), MCP-3 (MARC/CCL7), MIG (CXCL9), RANTES (CCL5), TGF beta 1, TNF alpha, TNF beta (TNFSF1B)

The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) is a self-administered questionnaire used to assess the severity and frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms over the previous 7-days. The GSRS consists of a self-administered questionnaire with 15 items, which are divided into five subscales representing different symptom groups: Reflux, Abdominal Pain, Indigestion, Diarrhoea and Constipation. Each item on the GSRS is rated on a 7-point Likert scale, where 1 indicates the absence of symptoms and 7 indicates very severe symptoms. The scores for each subscale are calculated separately or can be summed for a total score, and higher scores indicate greater severity of symptoms.

In this study, GSRS total score is used.

The 36-Item Short Form Survey developed by RAND (SF-36 RAND) is a self-reported outcome measure instrument on health that is often used and well-researched. The SF-36 RAND taps eight health concepts: physical functioning, bodily pain, role limitations due to physical health problems, role limitations due to personal or emotional problems, emotional well-being, social functioning, energy/fatigue, and general health perceptions. The form asks participants to reply to questions according to how they feel in general and how they have felt over the past 4 weeks. The items use Likert-type scales, some with five or six points and others with two or three points, with scores ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate higher quality of life.

In this study, two domain scores, General Health and Energy/Fatigue, are used.

DASS-21 is a self-reported scale designed to measure the emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress over the previous 7-days. Each of the three DASS-21 scales contains 7 items, divided into subscale. The depression scale assesses dysphoria, hopelessness, devaluation of life, self-deprecation, lack of interest / involvement, anhedonia and inertia. The anxiety scale assesses autonomic arousal, skeletal muscle effects, situational anxiety, and subjective experience of anxious affect. The stress scale is sensitive to levels of chronic nonspecific arousal. It assesses difficulty relaxing, nervous arousal, and being easily upset / agitated, irritable / over-reactive and impatient. Scores for depression, anxiety and stress are calculated by summing the scores for the relevant items. The total score for stress will be assessed as part of the secondary objectives of this study.

The PROMIS Sleep Disturbance instruments assess self-reported perceptions of sleep quality, sleep depth, and restoration associated with sleep. This includes perceived difficulties and concerns with getting to sleep or staying asleep, as well as perceptions of the adequacy of and satisfaction with sleep. Sleep Disturbance does not focus on symptoms of specific sleep disorders, nor does it provide subjective estimates of sleep quantities (total amount of sleep, time to fall asleep, amount of wakefulness during sleep). The Sleep Disturbance short form is universal rather than disease specific. It assesses sleep disturbance over the past seven days. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale.

The PROMIS Sleep-Related Impairment focuses on self-reported perceptions of alertness, sleepiness, and tiredness during usual waking hours, and the perceived functional impairments during wakefulness associated with sleep problems or impaired alertness. Though Sleep-Related Impairment does not directly assess cognitive, effective, or performance impairment, it does measure waking alertness, sleepiness, and function within the context of overall sleep-wake function. The Sleep-Related Impairment short form is universal rather than disease-specific. It assesses sleep-related impairment over the past seven days. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale.