Synbiotic supplementation targets obesity

According to research published in Foods (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10071580), a synbiotic formulation containing Lactobacillus paracasei, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium breve, inulin, and fructooligosaccharide (FOS) can help to minimise obesity occurrence .

Conforming to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is a global health issue that is preventable. Since 1975, obesity has tripled across the globe; In 2016, more than 1.9 billion and 650 million adults were overweight and obese, respectively. Further, in 2020, 39 million children under 5 years old were either obese or overweight.

Researchers from Thailand analysed the effect of the symbiotic intervention had on the biomarkers of obese people, such as cholesterol, gut permeability, oxidative stress, bacterial toxins, cytokines, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Thai obese participants (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²)—aged 18 to 65 years old—were given either synbiotic supplementation (probiotics: 2 × 10¹⁰, 1 × 10¹⁰ and 2 × 10¹⁰ CFU of Lactobacillus paracasei, Bifidobacterium longum, and Bifidobacterium breve, respectively;  prebiotics: 5 g of inulin and 5 g of FOS) or placebo for a duration of 12 weeks. Participants were advised to mix supplementation with a glass of water and drink it before having breakfast.

The results showed a significant decrease in body weight, BMI, body fat, waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, inflammation markers—IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α—and other obesity markers such as LPS, zonulin, 5-HIAA, and QA in Thai obese subjects after the intervention.

Researchers concluded: “This evidence suggests that synbiotic supplementation produces a stronger effect compared to separate prebiotic and probiotic treatments. Additional anti-obesity effects can be obtained when obese subjects carry out synbiotic supplementation alongside any physical activity.”