ABSTRACT
Background/Aims@#Psychobiotics are probiotics or prebiotics that, upon ingestion in adequate amounts, yield positive influence on mental health via microbiota-gut-brain axis regulation to modulate the circulating cytokines, chemokines, neurotransmitters, or neurotrophins levels.We have recently shown that a psychobiotic combination (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175;CEREBIOME) significantly improved depression symptoms in patients with depression. Recent animal data suggest the influence of the gut microbiota on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which was shown to correlate with antidepressant response in depressive patients. Therefore, we conducted this exploratory post hoc analysis of BDNF levels to clarify the mechanism of action of this psychobiotic in our cohort. @*Methods@#Our study was a double-blind, randomized controlled trial of patients with low-to-moderate depression receiving either a probiotic combination, prebiotic or placebo. From the 110 patients randomized in the trial, 78 were included in this post hoc analysis (probiotic, n = 28; prebiotic and placebo, n = 25). We compared serum BDNF levels from participants at baseline and endpoint, and assessed the Pearson correlation between depression severity and BDNF levels for each intervention. @*Results@#We found that post-intervention BDNF levels were significantly different between groups (P 0.05). @*Conclusion@#Eight-week supplementation with B. longum and L. helveticus in depressive patients improved depression symptoms, possibly by increasing BDNF levels.
ABSTRACT
Background: The association between snacking patterns, sleep hours, and physical activity with growth status and appetite of preschool children was investigated
Methods: Sixty three children aged 3-7 years with low appetite and weight for age ratio below the 25[th] percentile were enrolled from those referring to Nader Kazemi Polyclinic in Shiraz. Information regarding the parents' education, sleep hours, physical activity, appetite, and snacking patterns was obtained by interview. Height and weight were measured and energy intake was estimated by 2-day food recall. Appetite was rated on a 5-point scale based on the maternal report
Results: Mother's education, the number of children in the household, and physical activity were not associated with either growth failure, energy intake, or appetite, but the fathers' education more than Diploma was associated with higher energy intake in children [P=0.015]. Children who slept <11 hours a day had higher energy intake [P=0.026] but worse weight status [P=0.015]. Children who always ate snacks close to the main meals had significantly higher energy intake but more severe growth failure. High consumption of fruit drinks, cakes, and potato chips was associated with exacerbated growth faltering whereas nuts consumption was related to better height status. None of the evaluated parameters was associated with children's appetite
Conclusion: Overall, the results suggest the importance of sufficient sleep, limited consumption of snacks, and the type and time of snack consumption in growth of children with poor appetite. Nutritious snacks such as nuts may be more beneficial than nutrient-poor snacks for growth of children
ABSTRACT
Background: The present clinical trial study aims at investigating the effect of daily energy intake in 6 isocaloric meals in comparison with the current meal pattern [3 meals and 2 small snacks per day] on type 2 diabetes risk markers in diabetes during 3-month period
Methods: Eighty four type 2 diabetes patients were randomly divided into 6 isocaloric meal diet or a balanced diet [3 meals and 2 snacks previous meal pattern]. The planned reduced calorie diets for both groups were identical except for the meal pattern. Blood samples were analyzed before and after the investigation for fasting blood sugar [FBS], two-hour post-prandial glucose [2hPP], insulin, hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-C, LDL-C, and molondialdehyde [MDA] concentrations
Results: HbA1c [P=0.00] and body mass index [BMI] [P=0.04] values decreased significantly in the 6 isocaloric meal pattern compared with the controls. There were no significant differences in fasting serum glucose [P=0.09], insulin [P=0.65], total cholesterol [P=0.32], LDL-C [P=0.43], HDL-C [P=0.40] cholesterol, triglyceride [P=0.40], MDA [P=0.13] and 2hPP serum glucose [P=0.30] concentrations between the 6 isocaloric meal and tradition meal pattern
Conclusion: Six isocaloric meal pattern in comparison with the current meal pattern led to weight loss and improved glycemic control. Serum lipid profile and MDA did not change significantly