Association of Yogurt and Dietary Supplements Containing Probiotic Consumption With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in US Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Although probiotic intake had beneficial effects on several specific disorders, limited evidence was available about the benefits of probiotic intake in the general population. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between yogurt (as a natural probiotic source) and dietary supplements containing probiotic consumption and mortality in US adults. METHODS: We conducted an observational cohort study comprised of a nationally representative sample of adults who were enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2014. Individuals were linked to the US National Death Index. RESULTS: We included 32,625 adults in our study. Of the study cohort, 3,539 participants had yogurt consumption, 213 had dietary supplements containing probiotic consumption, and the remaining participants (28,873) did not have yogurt and/or dietary supplements containing probiotic consumption. During 266,432 person-years of follow-up, 3,881 deaths from any cause were ascertained, of which 651 were due to cardiovascular disorders and 863 were due to cancer. Weighted Cox proportional hazards models suggested that yogurt consumption was inversely associated with all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.83 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.71–0.98]) but not cardiovascular mortality (adjusted HR, 0.68 [95%CI, 0.43–1.08]) and cancer mortality (adjusted HR, 1.00 [95%CI, 0.72–1.38]). However, dietary supplements containing probiotic were not associated with decreased all-cause and cause-specific mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggested that yogurt consumption was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality among U.S. adults. Yogurt consumption in diet might be a sensible strategy for reducing the risk of death.