Safety and Efficacy of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid from Fermented Rice Germ in Patients with Insomnia Symptoms: A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial

Abstract

Background and PurposeThis study aimed to determine the subjective and objective improvements in sleep quality after treatment with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA; 300 mg daily) extracted from unpolished rice germ.MethodsThis study was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial. In total, 40 patients who complained of insomnia symptoms were enrolled and randomly assigned to the GABA treatment group (n=30) or the placebo group (n=10). Polysomnography was performed, and sleep questionnaires were administered before treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment.ResultsAfter 4 weeks of treatment the sleep latency had decreased [13.4±15.7 min at pretreatment vs. 5.7±6.2 min at posttreatment (mean±SD), p=0.001] and the sleep efficacy had increased (79.4±12.9% vs. 86.1±10.5%, p=0.018) only in the GABA treatment group. Adverse events occurred in four subjects (10%).ConclusionsThis study shows that treatment with unpolished-rice-germ-derived GABA improved not only the subjective sleep quality but also the objective sleep efficacy without severe adverse events.

Antidepressive Mechanisms of Probiotics and Their Therapeutic Potential

“…GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter that is widely associated with sleep, and GABA receptors are frequent targets for pharmaceutical drugs, such as benzodiazepine, to treat insomnia (Gottesmann, 2002). GABA-enriched foods and GABA extract have also been shown to improve sleep quality in insomniacs (Byun et al, 2018) and healthy individuals (Yamatsu et al, 2015). Therefore, L. brevis has therapeutic value for insomnia, which reflects one of the diagnostic criteria for MDD (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).…”

The Effects of Dietary Nutrition on Sleep and Sleep Disorders

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Edible plant Jiaosu: manufacturing, bioactive compounds, potential health benefits, and safety aspects

“…Further research revealed that the fermented rice germ extract containing GABA improved not only subjective sleep quality, but also sleep efficacy. 41,42 Ginseng is a traditional herbal medicine that has been widely used in Asia. Some fermented ginseng products could be classified as EPJ.…”

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