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A clinical trial about effects of prebiotic and probiotic supplementation on weight loss, psychological profile and metabolic parameters in obese subjects.
Ben Othman, R, Ben Amor, N, Mahjoub, F, Berriche, O, El Ghali, C, Gamoudi, A, Jamoussi, H
Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism. 2023;6(2):e402
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Gut microbiota is defined by all the beneficial microorganisms that live and grow in the intestine. It is set up from birth and evolves according to different factors. Today, the microbiota is considered a therapeutic revolution, where researchers use its enrichment to prevent or treat certain diseases including obesity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a probiotic supplement containing Bifidobacteruim, Lactobacillus strains and a prebiotic supplement by carob on the changes in body composition and metabolic biomarkers in subjects with obesity. This study was a prospective interventional study. Forty-five patients were recruited on their first visit to the obesity unit and were randomly assigned to three groups. All participants were enrolled in the weight loss program at the beginning of the study and followed a low-carbohydrate, reduced-energy intake eating plan. Results showed that a low-carbohydrate, restricted-energy diet effectively showed positive results in terms of weight loss, metabolic parameters and obesity-related psychiatric disorders in obese individuals. Authors concluded that prebiotics and probiotics supplementation with lifestyle measures can be taken into consideration for the management of obesity.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The management of obesity is difficult with many failures of lifestyle measures, hence the need to broaden the range of treatments prescribed. The aim of our work was to study the influence of pre and probiotics on weight loss psychological profile and metabolic parameters in obese patients. METHODS It is a clinical trial involving 45 obese patients, recruited from the Obesity Unit of the National Institute of Nutrition between March and August 2022 divided into three groups: diet only (low-carbohydrate and reduced energy diet), prebiotics (30 g of carob/day) and probiotics (one tablet containing Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus/day). The three groups were matched for age, sex and BMI. Patients were seen after 1 month from the intervention. Anthropometric measures, biological parameters, dietary survey and psychological scores were performed. RESULTS The average age of our population was 48.73 ± 7.7 years, with a female predominance. All three groups showed a significant decrease in weight, BMI and waist circumference with p < .05. Only the prebiotic and probiotic group showed a significant decrease in fat mass (p = .001) and a significant increase in muscle strength with p = .008 and .004, but the differences were not significant between the three groups. Our results showed also a significant decrease in insulinemia and HOMA-IR in the prebiotic group compared to the diet-alone group (p = .03; p = .012) and the probiotic group showed a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose compared to the diet alone group (p = .02). A significant improvement in sleep quality was noted in the prebiotic group (p = .02), with a significant decrease in depression, anxiety and stress in all three groups. CONCLUSIONS The prescription of prebiotics and probiotics with the lifestyle measures seems interesting for the management of obesity especially if it is sarcopenic, in addition to the improvement of metabolic parameters and obesity-related psychiatric disorders.
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Energy Availability and Nutritional Intake during Different Training Phases of Wheelchair Athletes.
Hertig-Godeschalk, A, Ruettimann, B, Valido, E, Glisic, M, Stoyanov, J, Flueck, JL
Nutrients. 2023;15(11)
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To maintain a long-term and successful career, elite athletes try to prevent health problems and maximize training adaptations. This includes not only managing training volume and intensity, along with recovery, but also tailoring nutrition to individual needs. The aim of this study was to assess dietary intake, energy availability (EA), and blood biochemical parameters at four consecutive time points during the pre-competition and competition phases in elite wheelchair athletes participating in a pilot feasibility study. This study was a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial. In the main study the participants were athletes who received either daily probiotic or prebiotic supplementation for four weeks, followed by a four-week washout period, and another four weeks of daily supplementation with another supplement. Results showed that: - neither EA nor energy intake (EI) displayed significant differences across the various time points. - all athletes experienced low EA for at least one day, indicating how tough fuelling is for elite athletes. - daily macronutrient intake and timing were frequently suboptimal, with athletes not adjusting EI to accommodate higher training loads. Authors concluded that their findings highlight the need for specific nutritional guidelines tailored to wheelchair athletes, as well as the importance of continuous education and guidance from qualified sports nutritionists.
Abstract
Optimizing nutritional intake and timing helps athletes to improve performance and long-term health. Different training phases can require varying nutritional needs. In this study, we conducted a descriptive assessment of dietary intake, energy availability (EA), and blood biochemical parameters in elite wheelchair athletes during distinct training phases. Data analyzed in this study were collected as part of a randomized controlled crossover trial exploring the feasibility of probiotics and prebiotic supplementation. Data were obtained from consecutive three-day diaries and blood samples, both collected at four different time points across four consecutive months. We included 14 athletes (mean (standard deviation) age 34 (9) years, eight females, and six males) active in different wheelchair sports. The mean daily nutritional intake (g/kg body mass) for females and males was 2.7 (0.9) and 4.0 (0.7) for carbohydrates, 1.1 (0.3) and 1.5 (0.3) for protein, and 0.8 (0.3) and 1.4 (0.2) for fat. EA did not change across the four time points in either female (p = 0.30) or male (p = 0.05) athletes. The mean EA was lower in female athletes compared to male athletes (p = 0.03). Low EA (≤30 kcal/ kg fat-free mass/day) was observed in female (58 (29) % of days) and male (34 (23) % of days) athletes. Iron deficiency with anemia was observed in two female athletes. Mean vitamin D levels were insufficient (<75 nmol/L). Macronutrient intake, EA, and blood biochemical parameters were suboptimal in this cohort of elite wheelchair athletes, especially in female athletes.
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One-year supplementation with Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 counteracts a degradation of gut microbiota in older women with low bone mineral density.
Li, P, Ji, B, Luo, H, Sundh, D, Lorentzon, M, Nielsen, J
NPJ biofilms and microbiomes. 2022;8(1):84
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Osteoporosis is a highly prevalent bone disease in the elderly population and is characterised by decreased bone mineral density, deteriorated bone microarchitecture, reduced bone strength and increased susceptibility to fragility fractures. Due to the lack of awareness about osteoporosis, there is the need to develop a novel and effective intervention for its prevention and treatment. The aim of this study was to gain mechanistic insight into the effect of Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 on bone metabolism and identify factors important for a good response to the probiotic. This study was based on a placebo-controlled cohort trial where 68 elderly women had been randomised to supplementation with the probiotic strain L. reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 or placebo. For this secondary analysis, 20 out of the 68 elderly women with bone loss who supplemented with probiotic L. reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 were selected. Results showed that after one-year probiotic supplementation, there was decreased inflammation and significantly increased gene richness of the gut microbiota in the good responders, whereas there was altered microbial composition and function, including enrichment of E. coli and its biofilm formation in the poor responders. Authors conclude that L. reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 supplementation might promote bone formation by modulating the gut microbiota composition and function, which could be crucial for the development of novel osteoporosis treatments.
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that probiotic supplementation has beneficial effects on bone metabolism. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT) we demonstrated that supplementation of Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 reduced bone loss in older women with low bone mineral density. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the effect of L. reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 on bone metabolism, 20 women with the highest changes (good responders) and the lowest changes (poor responders) in tibia total volumetric BMD after one-year supplementation were selected from our previous RCT. In the current study we characterized the gut microbiome composition and function as well as serum metabolome in good responders and poor responders to the probiotic treatment as a secondary analysis. Although there were no significant differences in the microbial composition at high taxonomic levels, gene richness of the gut microbiota was significantly higher (P < 0.01 by the Wilcoxon rank-sum test) and inflammatory state was improved (P < 0.05 by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test) in the good responders at the end of the 12-month daily supplementation. Moreover, detrimental changes including the enrichment of E. coli (adjusted P < 0.05 by DESeq2) and its biofilm formation (P < 0.05 by GSA) observed in the poor responders were alleviated in the good responders by the treatment. Our results indicate that L. reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 supplementation has the potential to prevent a deterioration of the gut microbiota and inflammatory status in elderly women with low bone mineral density, which might have beneficial effects on bone metabolism.
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Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 on Exercise Physiological Adaptation, Performance, and Body Composition in Healthy Humans.
Huang, WC, Lee, MC, Lee, CC, Ng, KS, Hsu, YJ, Tsai, TY, Young, SL, Lin, JS, Huang, CC
Nutrients. 2019;11(11)
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Probiotics are widely used for health promotion. This study specifically looks at one strain of Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 and its effects on physiology and body composition in 54 healthy participants (50/50 men and women), aged 20-30 years, none of which were professional athletes. The double-blind placebo-controlled experiment divided the participants into groups of placebo, low dose probiotics and high dose probiotics to determine the effects of probiotics on exercise performance over a 6 week period. During this time the participants were required to carry out a series of treadmill exercises and biometric exams including monitoring heart rate, oxygen consumption, body mass, and fatigue parameters measured in blood work (serum lactate, ammonia, glucose, creatine kinase, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and uric acid) for physiological adaption. The results showed that the probiotics elevated exercise performance and improved fatigue in a dose-dependent manner. They observed that muscle mass increased and fat mass decreased in the treatment groups compared to the placebo. As such they conclude that Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 has beneficial physiological effects to improve aerobic performance.
Abstract
Probiotics have been rapidly developed for health promotion, but clinical validation of the effects on exercise physiology has been limited. In a previous study, Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 (TWK10), isolated from Taiwanese pickled cabbage as a probiotic, was demonstrated to improve exercise performance in an animal model. Thus, in the current study, we attempted to further validate the physiological function and benefits through clinical trials for the purpose of translational research. The study was designed as a double-blind placebo-controlled experiment. A total of 54 healthy participants (27 men and 27 women) aged 20-30 years without professional athletic training were enrolled and randomly allocated to the placebo, low (3 × 1010 colony forming units (CFU)), and high dose (9 × 1010 CFU) TWK10 administration groups (n = 18 per group, with equal sexes). The functional and physiological assessments were conducted by exhaustive treadmill exercise measurements (85% VO2max), and related biochemical indices were measured before and after six weeks of administration. Fatigue-associated indices, including lactic acid, blood ammonia, blood glucose, and creatinine kinase, were continuously monitored during 30 min of exercise and a 90 min rest period using fixed intensity exercise challenges (60% VO2max) to understand the physiological adaptation. The systemic inflammation and body compositions were also acquired and analyzed during the experimental process. The results showed that TWK10 significantly elevated the exercise performance in a dose-dependent manner and improved the fatigue-associated features correlated with better physiological adaptation. The change in body composition shifted in the healthy direction for TWK10 administration groups, especially for the high TWK10 dose group, which showed that body fat significantly decreased and muscle mass significantly increased. Taken together, our results suggest that TWK10 has the potential to be an ergogenic aid to improve aerobic endurance performance via physiological adaptation effects.