Effects of synbiotic supplementation on anthropometric indices and body composition in overweight or obese children and adolescents: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Background Recently, beneficial effects of probiotics and/or prebiotics on cardio-metabolic risk factors in adults have been shown. However, existing evidence has not been fully established for pediatric age groups. This study aimed to assess the effect of synbiotic on anthropometric indices and body composition in overweight or obese children and adolescents. Methods This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted among 60 participants aged 8–18 years with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or higher than the 85th percentile. Participants were randomly divided into two groups that received either a synbiotic capsule containing 6 × 10 9 colony forming units (CFU) Lactobacillus coagulans SC-208, 6 × 10 9 CFU Lactobacillus indicus HU36 and fructooligosaccharide as a prebiotic ( n = 30) or a placebo ( n = 30) twice a day for eight weeks. Anthropometric indices and body composition were measured at baseline and after the intervention. Results The mean (standard deviation, SD) age was 11.07 (2.00) years and 11.23 (2.37) years for the placebo and synbiotic groups, respectively ( P = 0.770). The waist-height ratio (WHtR) decreased significantly at the end of the intervention in comparison with baseline in the synbiotic group (0.54 ± 0.05 vs. 0.55 ± 0.05, P = 0.05). No significant changes were demonstrated in other anthropometric indices or body composition between groups. Conclusions Synbiotic supplementation might be associated with a reduction in WHtR. There were no significant changes in other anthropometric indices or body composition.

Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Synbiotics—A Research Hotspot for Pediatric Obesity

“…Synbiotics represent compounds that have the same properties of prebiotics and probiotics, together promoting probiotic survival in the gastrointestinal tract, and they might result in a better outcome regarding the host's health when compared to prebiotics and probiotics separately [84,85]. A recent study performed on 60 children with overweight and obesity aged between 8 and 18 years assessed the combination between Lactobacillus indicus and Lactobacillus coagulans as probiotics, combined with short-chain fructo-oligosaccharide as a prebiotic, and noticed a significant reduction of waist-height ratio in children receiving this combination compared to those receiving the placebo [86]. Nevertheless, another study involving obese children and teenagers pointed out a decrease in weight and body mass index after one month of supplementation with synbiotics [87].…”