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Mixed Spices at Culinary Doses Have Prebiotic Effects in Healthy Adults: A Pilot Study.
Lu, QY, Rasmussen, AM, Yang, J, Lee, RP, Huang, J, Shao, P, Carpenter, CL, Gilbuena, I, Thames, G, Henning, SM, et al
Nutrients. 2019;11(6)
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An increasing body of evidence suggests that the gut microbiota has a profound impact on human health. While the microbiome of a healthy individual is relatively stable, gut microbial dynamics can be influenced by host lifestyle and dietary choices. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mixed spices (cinnamon, oregano, ginger, black pepper, and cayenne pepper) at culinary doses consumed over 2 weeks in a standardized 5g capsule on the production of gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids The study is a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot study carried out with a total of 31 healthy women and men aged between 18 and 65. The subjects were randomly allocated to one of the two intervention groups. Results indicate that daily intake of 5g of mixed spices for 2 weeks in healthy subjects resulted in a significant reduction in the relative abundance of the phylum Firmicutes (bacteria), and a trend of increasing in phylum Bacteroidetes (bacteria) as compared with a matched control group. Authors conclude that a mixture of spices at culinary doses affects the composition of gut microbiota.
Abstract
Spices were used as food preservatives prior to the advent of refrigeration, suggesting the possibility of effects on microbiota. Previous studies have shown prebiotic activities in animals and in vitro, but there has not been a demonstration of prebiotic or postbiotic effects at culinary doses in humans. In this randomized placebo-controlled study, we determined in twenty-nine healthy adults the effects on the gut microbiota of the consumption daily of capsules containing 5 g of mixed spices at culinary doses by comparison to a matched control group consuming a maltodextrin placebo capsule. The 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing data were used for microbial characterization. Spice consumption resulted in a significant reduction in Firmicutes abundance (p < 0.033) and a trend of enrichment in Bacteroidetes (p < 0.097) compared to placebo group. Twenty-six operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were different between the spice and placebo groups after intervention. Furthermore, there was a significant negative correlation between fecal short-chain fatty acid propionate concentration and Firmicutes abundance in spice intervention group (p < 0.04). The production of individual fecal short-chain fatty acid was not significantly changed by spice consumption in this study. Mixed spices consumption significantly modified gut microbiota, suggesting a prebiotic effect of spice consumption at culinary doses.
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Clinical trial: effect of active lactic acid bacteria on mucosal barrier function in patients with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.
Zeng, J, Li, YQ, Zuo, XL, Zhen, YB, Yang, J, Liu, CH
Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics. 2008;28(8):994-1002
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Impaired intestinal mucosal barrier function may be involved in the pathogenesis of diarrhoea-predominant IBS (D-IBS) accompanied by persistent low-grade intestinal inflammation. Attenuating the inflammation and preserving mucosal barrier function may be a potential therapeutic target in D-IBS. This study investigates whether probiotic fermented milk containing multistrain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can improve intestinal mucosal barrier function in D-IBS. 30 Chinese adults with D-IBS and 12 asymptomatic controls were randomized (1:1 ratio) to consume a probiotic fermented milk (containing Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum) or a placebo drink twice daily half an hour before meals for 4 weeks. IBS symptoms and intestinal permeability were evaluated at weeks 0 and 4. Before treatment, intestinal permeability of the 30 patients with D-IBS was increased compared to normal controls. After treatment, intestinal permeability in the probiotics group decreased significantly, compared to the placebo group. IBS symptoms score in the probiotics group improved compared with baseline values, but not in the placebo group. This study found that small intestinal permeability was significantly increased in D-IBS patients compared with normal controls. The results indicate that multistrain LAB was associated with the improvement in intestinal barrier function as measured by a reduction in small bowel permeability, in turn accompanied by relief of IBS symptoms, which suggests that increased intestinal permeability may partially contribute to the pathogenesis of IBS symptoms. The mechanisms of increased intestinal permeability involvement in D-IBS were lacking.
Abstract
BACKGROUND The intestinal permeability is increased in patients with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS). AIM: To determine the possible efficacy of lactic acid bacteria on the increased intestinal permeability in D-IBS. METHODS Treatment was employed for 4 weeks in a randomized single blind placebo controlled study with 30 D-IBS patients. Patients were given either probiotic fermented milk (Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium Longum) or milk beverage containing no bacteria. The clinical symptoms were scored and intestinal permeability was measured by a triple sugar test before and after treatment. RESULTS Small bowel permeability was measured as the ratio of lactulose and mannitol recovery and colonic permeability was measured as the total mass of sucralose excretion (mg). After probiotics treatment, small bowel permeability decreased significantly from 0.038 (0.024) at baseline to 0.023 (0.020) (P = 0.004), the proportion of patients with increased small bowel permeability was lower than baseline (28.6% vs. 64.3%, P = 0.023). However, colonic permeability improved neither in the probiotics group nor in the placebo group at week 4. Treatment with probiotics significantly decreased the mean global IBS scores compared with the baseline scores (9.62 +/- 1.05 vs. 7.64 +/- 1.24, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Short-term active lactic acid bacteria treatment for D-IBS improved mucosal barrier function.