Effects of Lactobacillus casei supplementation on disease activity and inflammatory cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a randomized double-blind clinical trial.

AIM: The present study aimed at investigating the effects of Lactobacillus casei 01 supplementation on symptoms and inflammatory biomarkers of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in women. METHOD: In this randomized double-blind clinical trial, female patients with established RA for more than 1 year, 20-80 years of age and body mass index (BMI) lower than 40, who followed stable medication for 3 months prior to the supplementation, were randomly allocated to receive either one capsule containing 10(8) colony forming units (CFU) of L. casei 01, or a placebo for 8 weeks; allocation was stratified by BMI and menopausal status. Disease activity score-28 (DAS28) was calculated, European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response was evaluated and the cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured. RESULTS: Thirty patients were recruited in each group; 22 and 24 patients were analyzed in the probiotic and placebo groups, respectively. L. casei 01 supplementation decreased serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels, tender and swollen joint counts, global health (GH) score and DAS28 (P < 0.05). More patients in the L. casei 01 group had moderate response to the treatment, based on the EULAR criteria, at the end of the study (P < 0.01). At the end of the study, a significant difference was observed between the two groups for IL-10, IL-12 and TNF-α changes through the study course (P < 0.05), in favor of the probiotic group. No adverse effects were reported for the intervention. CONCLUSION: Probiotic supplementation may be an appropriate adjunct therapy for RA patients and help alleviate symptoms and improve inflammatory cytokines.

Probiotic yogurt improves antioxidant status in type 2 diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE: Oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetes. Among various functional foods with an antioxidant effect, probiotic foods have been reported to repress oxidative stress. The objective of this clinical trial was to assess the effects of probiotic and conventional yogurt on blood glucose and antioxidant status in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: Sixty-four patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 30 to 60 y old, were assigned to two groups in this randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial. The patients in the intervention group consumed 300 g/d of probiotic yogurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 and Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12 and those in the control group consumed 300 g/d of conventional yogurt for 6 wk. Fasting blood samples, 24-h dietary recalls, and anthropometric measurements were collected at the baseline and at the end of the trial. RESULTS: Probiotic yogurt significantly decreased fasting blood glucose (P < 0.01) and hemoglobin A1c (P < 0.05) and increased erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities and total antioxidant status (P < 0.05) compared with the control group. In addition, the serum malondialdehyde concentration significantly decreased compared with the baseline value in both groups (P < 0.05). No significant changes from baseline were shown in insulin concentration and erythrocyte catalase activity within either group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The consumption of probiotic yogurt improved fasting blood glucose and antioxidant status in type 2 diabetic patients. These results suggest that probiotic yogurt is a promising agent for diabetes management.