Diabetes therapeutics of prebiotic soluble dietary fibre and antioxidant anthocyanin supplement in patients with type 2 diabetes: randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial
Type II diabetes (T2DM) is a global health concern which is estimated to affect close to 750 million individuals by the year 2045. T2DM is characterized by hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and an increased cardiovascular disease-risk. Lifestyle modifications and targeted nutritional strategies have emerged as cornerstone approaches in the management of T2DM. This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, clinical trial assessed the effects of oral supplementation with a combination of anthocyanins and prebiotics on indicators of metabolic health in participants with T2DM. Sixty adults aged 30-60 years with T2DM were included in this study and randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) anthocyanin + prebiotic or 2) placebo (maltodextrin) supplement. The anthocyanins were derived from riceberry rice (0.28 g/day), while the prebiotics originated from dietary fiber (1.26 g/day of each dietary fiber sourced from rice bran and Jerusalem artichoke. Participants were instructed to consume two 350 mg capsules after three meals and before bedtime daily for 60 days. Anthropometric measurements, venous blood samples, body composition, and cardiorespiratory measures were taken at baseline and after the 60-day intervention period. Supplementation with the antioxidant + prebiotic for 60 days led to significant improvements in blood glucose levels, glycated hemoglobin, glomerular filtration rate, and low-density lipoprotein, relative to the placebo group. Despite the promising results of the study, future research is warranted to confirm optimal doses of anthocyanin and prebiotic supplementation for diabetic patients.
Key takeaways:
- With more cases of T2DM globally, lifestyle modifications and nutritional interventions are becoming increasingly adopted as effective complementary therapies.
- Supplementation with anthocyanins and prebiotics has shown potential to improve metabolic health markers in patients with T2DM, including reductions in blood glucose levels and glycated hemoglobin.
- Future research is needed to confirm optimal dosing of anthocyanin + prebiotics in supplementation for diabetic patients.
Access to the study: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/7/1098
Reference: Teparak, C., Uriyapongson, J., Phoemsapthawee, J., Tunkamnerdthai, O., Aneknan, P., Tong-Un, T., Panthongviriyakul, C., Leelayuwat, N., & Alkhatib, A. (2025). Diabetes Therapeutics of Prebiotic Soluble Dietary Fibre and Antioxidant Anthocyanin Supplement in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Randomised Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients, 17(7), 1098. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17071098.
Behavioural, cognitive, and neurophysiological effects of a synbiotic supplementation enriched with pigmented corn extract or cornstarch in drug-naïve children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A randomised, double-blind, comparison-controlled clinical trial
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental condition characterized by pervasive and persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Beside polygenic predisposition and multiple environmental factors that interact in the pathogenesis of the condition, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of ADHD are not fully understood. Growing evidence are highlighting the gut-brain axis and the role of the two-way communication network between the gut microbiota and the central nervous system in brain function and behaviour. This 3-month, randomized, double-blinded, comparison-controlled trial investigated the effect of a synbiotic supplementation enriched with pigmented corn extract on fatty acid levels and microbiota composition, behaviour, cognition, and brain function in children with ADHD. Forty-one drug-naïve ADHD children and adolescents (6-16 years) were recruited to receive either a synbiotic mix (containing 3 billion colony forming units (CFU) of bacterial strains of Lactobacillus plantarum (PBS067-EU collection DSM 24937), Lactobacillus acidophilus (PBS066-EU collection DSM 24936) and Bifidobacterium animalis, subspecies lactis (BL050-EU collection DSM 25566) with 500 mg acacia fiber) and 500 mg cornstarch (COMP group) or the same synbiotic mix enriched with 500 mg pigmented corn extract (EXP group). The study results showed no superiority of the EXP synbiotic mix, with only slightly greater improvement in children in the COMP group compared to those in the EXP group in focused attention and in the haemodynamic response to a cognitive task. Future studies should explore the potential of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a technique for acquiring neurophysiological data and for monitoring the effects of interventions targeting the gut-brain axis.
Key takeaways:
- The potential of synbiotics as a novel strategy to enhance general health of patients with ADHD through the gut-brain axis has attracted increasing interest.
- This study demonstrated that a synbiotic preparation with L. plantarum, L. acidophilus, and B. animalis, sub-species lactis with acacia fiber and cornstarch have promising effects on ADHD symptoms.
- The study further suggested the usefulness of fNIRS in monitoring gut-brain interventions.
Access to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39710171/
Reference: Trezzi, S., Scaccabarozzi, G., Nossa, R., Piazza, C., Bianchi, A. R., Rosi, E., Tizzoni, F., Mauri, M., Camillo, L., Baragetti, A., Molteni, M., Campanella, V., Mauro, L., Cremonesi, P., Severgnini, M., Monroy, M. M., Castiglioni, B., Sparvoli, F., Pisano, S., Pozzi, M., … Nobile, M. (2025). Behavioural, cognitive, and neurophysiological effects of a synbiotic supplementation enriched with pigmented corn extract or cornstarch in drug-naïve children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A randomised, double-blind, comparison-controlled clinical trial. Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 65, 408–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2024.12.016.
Targeted prebiotic application of gluconic acid-containing oligosaccharides promotes Faecalibacterium growth through microbial cross-feeding networks
The human gut microbiome has a pivotal role in host health maintenance. Certain bacterial species particularly contribute to various health benefits, such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, which has emerged for its anti-inflammatory effects via butyrate production, a short-chain fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties and colonic health maintenance. Furthermore, a decline in the levels of F. prausnitzii has been linked to various conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Prebiotics have the potential to be utilized as targeted strategies to enhance the growth of beneficial bacteria beyond Bifidobacterium, the bacterium commonly increased by traditional prebiotics, and their contribution to the complex interactions among bacterial species like cross-feeding mechanisms. This study performed a comprehensive investigation, comprised of in vitro fecal cultures and in vivo human intervention approaches, of maltobionic acid and lactobionic acid, which have shown prebiotic potential for promoting F. prausnitzii without significantly affecting Bifidobacterium. The results from the human intervention study demonstrated that maltobionic acid supplementation at 5 g of the calcium salt (providing 3 g of maltobionic acid) daily for two weeks significantly increased the abundance of F. prausnitzii, with correlation noted in the effectiveness with the initial abundance of Parabacteroides. Mechanistic investigations revealed that Parabacteroides converted the gluconic acid moiety of maltobionic and lactobionic acids to glucuronic acid, which then gets preferentially utilized by F. prausnitzii. Altogether, these findings highlight the prebiotic potential of gluconic acid-containing oligosaccharides for targeted enhancement of Faecalibacterium and the significance of microbial interactions in prebiotic research. Future research should further investigate the concepts highlighted in this study for developing personalized microbiome modulation strategies.
Key takeaways:
- Using in vitro fecal cultures and in vivo human intervention trial, supplementation with maltobionic acid increased Faecalibacterium abundance without significantly affecting other bacteria like Bifidobacterium, highlighting its specificity.
- This study highlights the importance of microbial interactions in prebiotic efficacy and suggests that gluconic acid-containing oligosaccharides could serve as effective, precise tools for modulating the gut microbiome to promote health benefits.
- Future recommendations include elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cross-feeding relationships with larger and longer-period clinical trials exploring the therapeutic applications of these prebiotics.
Access the study: https://academic.oup.com/ismej/article/19/1/wraf027/8010263
Reference: Negishi, H., Ichikawa, A., Takahashi, S., Kano, H., & Makino, S. (2025). Targeted prebiotic application of gluconic acid-containing oligosaccharides promotes faecalibacterium growth through microbial cross-feeding networks. The ISME Journal, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf027.
The role of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases: an overview of recent clinical trials
Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), both characterized by an overactive immune response and dysbiosis of the gut microbiome – marked by reduced microbial diversity, abundance, and stability. Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics all play roles in positively modulating the composition of the gut microbiome and thus, have beneficial effects in a state of gut dysbiosis such as IBD. Yassine et al. (2025) conducted a literature review using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Their review examined studies on probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics to evaluate their potential beneficial effects as an intervention or adjunct therapy for the treatment of IBD. In the case of probiotics, the probiotics reviewed included different strains of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Eserchia coli Nissle, Streptococcus, and others. Several studies reported that probiotic supplementation led to improvements in clinical activity, endoscopic outcomes, modulation of gut inflammatory cytokines, and symptom relief, such as improved stool frequency, in patients with UC. Regarding prebiotics, the reviewed studies included oligofructose-enriched inulin, oat bran, Plantago major seeds, galactooligosaccharides, and others. Prebiotic supplementation in patients with IBD was associated with improvements in clinical remission, disease activity, symptom relief, quality of life, gut microbiota composition, and short-chain fatty acid production. Regarding synbiotics, this review evaluated several studies on synbiotic supplementation in patients with UC, noting improvements in clinical inflammatory markers, symptom relief, and quality of life. The synbiotic formulations included various strains of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, and Enterococcus, with fructooligosaccharides as the prebiotic component. Overall, this report suggests that single-strain probiotics (containing Lactobacillus), mix-strains (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium), prebiotics (fructooligosaccharides), and synbiotics can improve the state of disease, however future research is needed.
Key takeaways:
- Inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are characterized by an overactive immune response and gut microbiome dysbiosis.
- Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics have the potential to beneficially modulate the gut microbiome in a state of dysbiosis.
- This review highlights that probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics can reduce clinical disease activity, modulate gutinflammatory cytokines, alleviate symptoms, and improve quality of life in patients with IBD, especially those with ulcerative colitis.
Access the study: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/systems-biology/articles/10.3389/fsysb.2025.1561047/full https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/systems-biology/articles/10.3389/fsysb.2025.1561047/full
Reference: Yassine, F., Najm, A., & Bilen, M. (2025). The role of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases: An overview of recent clinical trials. Frontiers in Systems Biology, 5, Article 1561047. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsysb.2025.1561047.
