KYOTO, Japan, March 23 (UPI) -- A new type of yogurt provides an almost vaccine-like effect against the bacteria that cause gastritis and stomach ulcers, researchers in Japan said.

Hajime Hatta, a chemist at Kyoto Women's University in Kyoto, Japan, said the yogurt represents a unique approach to fighting stomach ulcers.

"With this new yogurt, people can now enjoy the taste of yogurt while preventing or eliminating the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers," Hatta said in a statement.

Hatta and colleagues said H. pylori seems to rely on a protein called urease to attach to and infect the stomach lining. Hatta turned to classic vaccine-making technology and injected chickens with urease and allowed the chickens' immune systems to produce an antibody to the protein. The researchers then harvested the antibody, called IgY-urease, from chicken eggs.

The scientists recruited 42 people who tested positive for H. pylori to eat two cups daily of either plain yogurt or yogurt containing the antibody for four weeks. Levels of urea, a byproduct of urease, decreased significantly in the antibody group when compared with the control group, indicating reduced bacterial activity, the researchers said.

Hatta cautioned that the anti-ulcer yogurt is not for those who are allergic to milk or eggs.

The findings were presented at the 237th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Salt Lake City.

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