Probiotic use may decrease risk factors for metabolic syndrome

1. Patients randomized to receive 12 weeks of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei MSMC39-1 and Bifidobacterium animalis TA-1 probiotics were observed to have reduced risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome.

Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent)

An imbalance in the gut microbiota can contribute to metabolic issues and potentially the development of metabolic syndrome. Probiotics can regulate the gut microbiome and have been shown to improve metabolic functions such as enhancing lipid metabolism, reducing cholesterol, reducing inflammatory mediators, and increasing insulin sensitivity, among others. Given the limited research on the effects of probiotics on metabolic syndrome, this double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial investigated the efficacy of the probiotics Lacticaseibacillus paracasei MSMC39-1 (L. paracasei MSMC39-1) and Bifidobacterium animalis TA-1 (B. animalis TA-1) in modulating gut microbiota and reducing risk factors of metabolic syndrome. Sixty participants (18-60 years) meeting the inclusion criteria for metabolic syndrome risk factors were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups. The probiotics group received probiotic tablets (L. paracasei MSMC39-1 and B. animalis TA-1, each at 1.0 × 10⁹ CFU), while the placebo group received placebo tablets. Each group consumed five tablets daily for 12 weeks. Due to two participants lost to follow-up, 58 participants were included in the analysis, with 31 in the probiotics group (mean age 42.29 ± 7.39 years, female (%) = 22 (71%)) and 27 in the placebo group (43.89 ± 7.54 years, female (%) = 19 (70%)). At 12 weeks, the probiotics group experienced a greater reduction in low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (-39.97 ± 26.83 mg/dl) compared to the placebo group (-4.96 ± 22.02) (p < 0.001). The probiotics group also experienced greater reductions in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol from baseline compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). Gut microbiome analysis revealed greater dissimilarity between pre- and post-intervention gut microbiomes in the probiotics group (p = 0.05). Bacterial taxonomic composition showed that gut microbiomes of the post-intervention probiotic group had a greater abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing gut microorganisms, including Blautia, Roseburia, Collinsella, and Ruminococcus, compared to the placebo group. Furthermore, microbial functional analysis found the probiotics group to have increases in ATP-binding cassette transporters, ribonucleic acid transport, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and pyruvate metabolism. Overall, this study found that L. paracasei MSMC39-1 and B. animalis TA-1 probiotics reduced risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome, supporting the role of probiotics in metabolic regulation. 

Click to read the study in PLOSONE

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