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The Effects of Synbiotic Supplementation on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, Biomarkers of Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in People with Overweight, Diabetes, and Coronary Heart Disease: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

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08 September 2020 Editor's Note: The Editor-in-Chief is currently investigating this article as concerns have been raised about integrity of the clinical trial reported here. There is also an ongoing investigation by the Iranian National Committee for Ethics in Biomedical Researches. Further editorial action will be taken as appropriate once the investigation into the concerns is complete and all parties have been given an opportunity to respond in full.

Abstract

Synbiotics are known to exert multiple beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of synbiotic supplementation on carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress in people with overweight, diabetes, and coronary heart disease (CHD). This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted and involved 60 people with overweight, diabetes, and CHD, aged 50–85 years old. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups to take either synbiotic supplements containing three probiotic bacteria spices Lactobacillus acidophilus strain T16 (IBRC-M10785), Lactobacillus casei strain T2 (IBRC-M10783), and Bifidobacterium bifidum strain T1 (IBRC-M10771) (2 × 109 CFU/g each) plus 800 mg inulin or placebo (n = 30 each group) for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and after the 12-week intervention period to determine metabolic variables. After the 12-week intervention, compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation significantly reduced serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (− 3101.7 ± 5109.1 vs. − 6.2 ± 3163.6 ng/mL, P = 0.02), plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) (− 0.6 ± 1.0 vs. − 0.1 ± 0.3 μmol/L, P = 0.01), and significantly increased nitric oxide (NO) levels (+ 7.8 ± 10.3 vs. − 3.6 ± 6.9 μmol/L, P < 0.001). We did not observe any significant changes of synbiotic supplementation on other biomarkers of oxidative stress and CIMT levels. Overall, synbiotic supplementation for 12 weeks among people with overweight, diabetes, and CHD had beneficial effects on serum hs-CRP, plasma NO, and MDA levels; however, it did not have any effect on other biomarkers of oxidative stress and CIMT levels.

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  • 08 September 2020

    Editor's Note: The Editor-in-Chief is currently investigating this article as concerns have been raised about integrity of the clinical trial reported here. There is also an ongoing investigation by the Iranian National Committee for Ethics in Biomedical Researches. Further editorial action will be taken as appropriate once the investigation into the concerns is complete and all parties have been given an opportunity to respond in full.

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Funding

The current study was funded by a grant from the Vice-Chancellor for Research, KUMS, and Iran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, I.R., Iran

    Alireza Farrokhian & Fariba Raygan

  2. Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, I.R., Iran

    Ali Soltani & Zatollah Asemi

  3. Science Department, Science Faculty, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Tajabadi-Ebrahimi

  4. Department of Oncology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran

    Mehran Sharifi Esfahani

  5. Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran

    Ali Akbar Karami

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  1. Alireza Farrokhian
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  2. Fariba Raygan
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  4. Maryam Tajabadi-Ebrahimi
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  5. Mehran Sharifi Esfahani
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Contributions

AF, FR, AS, MT-E, MS-E, and AK contributed in data collection and manuscript drafting. ZA assisted in conception, design, statistical analysis, and drafting of the manuscript. All authors confirmed the final version of the paper.

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Correspondence to Zatollah Asemi.

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All procedures followed in the paper were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Farrokhian, A., Raygan, F., Soltani, A. et al. The Effects of Synbiotic Supplementation on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, Biomarkers of Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in People with Overweight, Diabetes, and Coronary Heart Disease: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Probiotics & Antimicro. Prot. 11, 133–142 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-017-9343-1

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