Psychobiotic Supplementation of PS128TM Improves Stress, Anxiety, and Insomnia in Highly Stressed Information Technology Specialists: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Information technology (IT) is an industry related to the production of computers, information processing, and telecommunications. Such industries heavily rely on the knowledge and solutions provided by IT specialists. Previous reports found that the subjective stress scores were higher in IT specialists who developed diabetes, hypertension, and depression. Specific probiotics, known as psychobiotics, may alleviate stress and mood symptoms. This study aimed to examine whether an 8-week intervention of a novel psychobiotic, Lactobacillus plantarum PS128TM (PS128TM), improved self-perceived stress and mood symptoms among high-stress IT specialists.Methods: This open-label, single-arm, baseline-controlled study included IT specialists from a large IT company in Northern Taiwan. Participants with a Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) 10-item version score of 27 or higher were included. Participants were asked to take two capsules containing PS128TM powder, equivalent to 20 billion colony-forming units, daily. Self-report measures, such as the Job Stress Scale, Visual Analog Scale of Stress, the Insomnia Severity Index, the State and Trait Anxiety Index, the Questionnaire for Emotional Trait and State, the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Gastrointestinal Severity Index were compared at baseline and at the end of the trial period. The primary outcome was a 20% reduction in the PSS score at endpoint. Objective measures included salivary levels of stress biomarkers, including cortisol, α-amylase, immunoglobulin A, lactoferrin, and lysozymes, as well as results of the Test of Attentional Performance.Results: Of the 90 eligible IT specialists, 36 met the inclusion criteria. After the 8-week trial period, significant improvements in self-perceived stress, overall job stress, job burden, cortisol level, general or psychological health, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, quality of life, and both positive and negative emotions were found.Conclusion: Our results suggest that PS128TM has the distinct advantage of providing stress relief and can improve mental health for people with a high-stress job. Future placebo-controlled studies are warranted to explore the effect and underlying mechanisms of action of PS128TM.Clinical Trial Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/ (identifier: NCT04452253-sub-project 2).

Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 Promotes Intestinal Motility, Mucin Production, and Serotonin Signaling in Mice

“…2, 3, 4, and 5), suggesting that L. plantarum PS128 can be used as a laxative food supplement. A recent clinical study has also shown that daily administration of L. plantarum PS128 for eight weeks significantly improved self-perceived stress and GI symptoms in highly stressed information technology specialists [17], which supported the results of this study. However, in mice with Lop-induced constipation, the laxative effect of L. plantarum PS128 was relatively faint (Fig.…”

Microbiota-targeted interventions for mental health

“…Additionally, there has been a move to using microbial consortia (multiple strains of probiotics) in order to improve efficacy or induce additive and synergistic effects. In healthy populations, reductions in stress, anxiety and depression after probiotic supplementation are repeatedly demonstrated [ 4 ▪ , 5 , 6 , 7 ▪ ]. In patient populations, recently improved clinical symptoms of depression were observed in an open labeled pilot study in depressed patients using the combination of Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 (CEREBIOME) [ 8 , 9 ] and a reduction in anxiety symptoms in a population with Generalized Anxiety Disorder was elicited through a multistrain probiotic containing B. longum , B. bifidum , B. lactis and L. acidophilus [ 10 ▪▪ ].…”

Psychobiotic Therapy: Method to Reinforce the Immune System

“…The use these remedy are often associated with endocrine and metabolic side effects, which involve changes in the composition of the gut microbiota, may result in disorders such weight loss, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hyperparathyroidism, hypothyroidism, hypertension and sexual dysfunction [ 46 ]. Thus, the adoption of less aggressive “therapy” to the host body need to be considered, such as “Psychobiotic Therapy” [ 52 - 56 ]. The main advantages of using psychobiotic therapy in maintaining mental health during the pandemic such as COVID-19 is that, because they are microorganisms that belong to microbial genera naturally found in the intestinal tract ( Fig.…”