Effects of Synbiotics in Improving Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Markers
A 12 week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 120 Type 2 diabetes patients examined the effect of placebo, a probiotic and a synbiotic on measurements such as fasting blood glucose (FBG), with secondary outcomes including hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), inflammatory indicators, oxidative stress indicators, gastrointestinal hormones, gut microbiota, and bile acids (BAs). The placebo included 3.5 g of maltodextrin; the probiotics contained 0.1 g of (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis MN-Gup (MN-Gup)), delivering 5 × 1010 Colony-Forming Units (CFU) of viable bacteria, along with 3.4 g of maltodextrin; the synbiotics consisted of 0.1 g of MN-Gup powder with 5 × 1010 CFU of viable bacteria, 0.9 g of GOS, and 2.5 g of maltodextrin.
The researchers found that all three groups exhibited significant reductions in FBG. Additionally, the MN-Gup-GOS group demonstrated significant decreases in HbA1c, serum insulin, and HOMA-IR after intervention, whereas no such reductions were observed in the placebo and MN-Gup groups.