Effects of Probiotics and Synbiotics on Obesity, Insulin Resistance Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Review of Human Clinical Trials

Abstract

The use of probiotics and synbiotics in the prevention and treatment of different disorders has dramatically increased over the last decade. Both probiotics and synbiotics are well known ingredients of functional foods and nutraceuticals and may provide beneficial health effects because they can influence the intestinal microbial ecology and immunity. The present study reviews the effects of probiotics and synbiotics on obesity, insulin resistance syndrome (IRS), type 2 diabetes (T2D) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in human randomized clinical trials. Select probiotics and synbiotics provided beneficial effects in patients with obesity, mainly affecting the body mass index and fat mass. Some probiotics had beneficial effects on IRS, decreasing the cell adhesion molecule-1 levels, and the synbiotics decreased the insulin resistance and plasma lipid levels. Moreover, select probiotics improved the carbohydrate metabolism, fasting blood glucose, insulin sensitivity and antioxidant status and also reduced metabolic stress in subjects with T2D. Some probiotics and synbiotics improved the liver and metabolic parameters in patients with NAFLD. The oral intake of probiotics and synbiotics as co-adjuvants for the prevention and treatment of obesity, IRS, T2D and NAFLD is partially supported by the data shown in the present review. However, further studies are required to understand the precise mechanism of how probiotics and synbiotics affect these metabolic disorders.

Gut Microbiota and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Insights on Mechanism and Therapy

“…Administration of synbiotic production containing Lactobacillus paracasei B21060 plus arabinogalactan and fructooligosaccharides attenuated hepatic inflammation and increased expression of nuclear PPARs and their targeted genes in HFD-induced NAFLD rats [137]. Synbiotics have shown various benefits in metabolic diseases such as improvement of IR, glucose control, and inflammatory cytokines synthesis [138][139][140].…”

Comments on “The severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with gut dysbiosis and shift in the metabolic function of the gut microbiota”

“…As a co-adjuvant therapy, probiotic combination with metformin can lower liver aminotransferases better than metformin alone in patients with NASH. [19,20] The combination of cholesterol-lowering probiotics and anthraquinone increase the therapeutic effect on NAFLD by affecting the process of fat metabolism in rats (up-regulation of CYP7A1, LDL-R, FXR mRNA, PPAR-α protein and down-regulation of HMGCR, PPAR-γ and SREBP-1c).…”

Nanoceria alleviate oxidative and nitrosative stress in salivary glands glutamate-induced obesity rats

“…Of these over 600 million were obese. In 2014, an estimated 41 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight or obese [1,2]. Obesity is characterized by an abnormal excess of white adipose tissue, which is a major risk factor for the development of severe diseases, namely, diabetes mellitus type 2, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.…”

“…Obesity is characterized by an abnormal excess of white adipose tissue, which is a major risk factor for the development of severe diseases, namely, diabetes mellitus type 2, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Excessive energy intake, physical inactivity, and genetic susceptibility are main causal factors for obesity, while gene mutations, endocrine disorders, medication, or psychiatric illnesses may be underlying causes in some cases [1,3]. Uncontrolled use of food addictives may contribute to the onset of obesity.…”