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Probiotic Mixture Containing Lactobacillus helveticus, Bifidobacterium longum and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Affects Brain Responses to an Arithmetic Stress Task in Healthy Subjects: A Randomised Clinical Trial and Proof-of-Concept Study.
Edebol Carlman, HMT, Rode, J, König, J, Repsilber, D, Hutchinson, AN, Thunberg, P, Persson, J, Kiselev, A, Pruessner, JC, Brummer, RJ
Nutrients. 2022;14(7)
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Plain language summary
Physiological and psychological stress can affect gut function and its interaction with the brain (gut-brain axis). Different types of stress and different phases of stress regulation can affect the brain in different ways. Manipulation of the gut microbiota using probiotic bacteria has been shown to improve cognition and stress response. However, probiotic interventions are likely to have different effects depending on the strains used. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a probiotic intervention on brain activity and stress response. This study is a randomised double-blinded placebo-controlled crossover study with 22 healthy subjects. Subjects were randomised to two study groups receiving the intervention in different orders (probiotics or placebo first). Results demonstrate that the probiotic intervention: - altered activity in specific brain regions known to regulate emotion and stress response. - significantly altered functional connectivity between the upper limbic and medioventral regions. - did not affect the activation of other limbic or subcortical areas. Authors conclude that their findings could further lead to possible clinical implications for improving stress resilience and potential roles in the treatment of affective and gut-brain axis disorders.
Abstract
Probiotics are suggested to impact physiological and psychological stress responses by acting on the gut-brain axis. We investigated if a probiotic product containing Bifidobacterium longum R0175, Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum R1012 affected stress processing in a double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover proof-of-concept study (NCT03615651). Twenty-two healthy subjects (24.2 ± 3.4 years, 6 men/16 women) underwent a probiotic and placebo intervention for 4 weeks each, separated by a 4-week washout period. Subjects were examined by functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) as well as an autonomic nervous system function assessment during the Stroop task. Reduced activation in regions of the lateral orbital and ventral cingulate gyri was observed after probiotic intervention compared to placebo. Significantly increased functional connectivity was found between the upper limbic region and medioventral area. Interestingly, probiotic intervention seemed to predominantly affect the initial stress response. Salivary cortisol secretion during the task was not altered. Probiotic intervention did not affect cognitive performance and autonomic nervous system function during Stroop. The probiotic intervention was able to subtly alter brain activity and functional connectivity in regions known to regulate emotion and stress responses. These findings support the potential of probiotics as a non-pharmaceutical treatment modality for stress-related disorders.
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Exploring Associations between Interindividual Differences in Taste Perception, Oral Microbiota Composition, and Reported Food Intake.
Cattaneo, C, Riso, P, Laureati, M, Gargari, G, Pagliarini, E
Nutrients. 2019;11(5)
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There are many known drivers of food choice and habits, however, taste is considered one of the main predictors. Each taste quality is associated with different nutritional or physiological requirements or indicates a potential dietary risk. The main aim of this study was to explore whether variation in gustatory functions among individuals could be related to different dietary patterns and intake. A secondary aim was to examine the relationship between gustatory functions and dietary patterns in relation to oral microbiota composition. The study recruited 59 (27 male and 32 female) healthy, normal-weight volunteers aged between 18 and 30 years of age. Seven concentrations for each taste stimulus were prepared to determine the recognition thresholds. Results indicate that: (i) recognition thresholds for the basic tastes were associated with each other, even though in different ways, (ii) interindividual differences in taste perception may influence habitual food consumption and intake, and (iii) there are gender-related differences in food consumption frequency and intake. Authors conclude that nongenetic factors, such as the oral bacteria lining the tongue, should be adequately considered in order to gain new insights into taste-related eating habits that may influence long-term health outcomes.
Abstract
The role of taste perception, its relationship with oral microbiota composition, and their putative link with eating habits and food intake were the focus of the present study. A sample of 59 reportedly healthy adults (27 male, 32 female; age: 23.3 ± 2.6 years) were recruited for the study and taste thresholds for basic tastes, food intake, and oral microbiota composition were evaluated. Differences in taste perception were associated with different habitual food consumption (i.e., frequency) and actual intake. Subjects who were orally hyposensitive to salty taste reported consuming more bakery and salty baked products, saturated-fat-rich products, and soft drinks than hypersensitive subjects. Subjects hyposensitive to sweet taste reported consuming more frequently sweets and desserts than the hypersensitive group. Moreover, subjects hypersensitive to bitter taste showed higher total energy and carbohydrate intakes compared to those who perceived the solution as less bitter. Some bacterial taxa on tongue dorsum were associated with gustatory functions and with vegetable-rich (e.g., Prevotella) or protein/fat-rich diets (e.g., Clostridia). Future studies will be pivotal to confirm the hypothesis and the potential exploitation of oral microbiome as biomarker of long-term consumption of healthy or unhealthy diets.