Prebiotics help mitigate inflammatory state in overweight, obese people

Supplementation with prebiotics appears to confer benefits for the inflammatory state in individuals who are overweight or obese, with the results of a meta-analysis showing that it may help regulate blood concentrations of ghrelin and C-reactive protein (CRP).

Researchers performed a systematic review of clinical trials evaluating the effect of prebiotic or synbiotic supplementation on biochemical outcomes (adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, leptin, ghrelin, thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH], parathyroid hormone [PTH], vitamin D, brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF] and CRP) in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥25 kg/m².

The meta-analysis included 13 trials, one of which used synbiotics in the intervention while the remaining 12 used prebiotics. The latter used inulin-type fructans (fructo-oligosaccharides, inulin and oligofructose) or galacto-oligosaccharides, with doses ranging from 2.03 to 24 g/d and durations ranging between an acute dose and 90 days of supplementation.

Pooled data showed that supplementation with inulin-type fructans reduced serum concentrations of ghrelin (−37.17 pg/mL, 95 percent CI, −69.62 to −4.73; p=0.025) and CRP (standardized mean difference, −0.31, −0.58 to −0.04; p=0.027).

The researchers said that further studies should be conducted to examine the possible therapeutic effect of prebiotics on outcomes associated with depression and anxiety.

Obesity share similar risk factors with emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety. These factors include stress, low physical activity, poor nutrition and chronic inflammation. Inflammation status—which has been associated with alterations in serum concentrations of insulin, leptin, ghrelin and cortisol, and with vitamin deficiency—may be of particular importance, as it has been reported to carry an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, dementia and diabetes, among others. [Neurosignals 2017;25:54-73]