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Abstract
Background and aims
During the last decades, there has been a burst of scientific literature hypothesizing the antioxidant effect of probiotics. However, the results of these studies are inconsistent and a final conclusion has yet to be reached. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of probiotic/synbiotic supplementation on serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in adults.
Methods and Results
The following online databases were searched until August 26th 2020: PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Clarivate Analytics Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Science Direct, Google Scholar and Igaku Chuo Zasshi. The effect sizes were expressed as the weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). A total of 31 eligible trials with 1681 participants (839 cases and 842 controls) were included in this meta-analysis. The results revealed that the supplementation with probiotics/synbiotics, significantly increased serum TAC (WMD: 54.14 mmol/L, 95% CI: 27.87, 80.40, P < 0.001), GSH (WMD: 40.38 μmol/L, 95% CI: 20.72, 60.03, P < 0.001) and NO (WMD: 3.54 μmol/L, 95% CI: 1.73, 5.34, P < 0.001) levels. In addition, MDA levels were significantly reduced (WMD: −0.45 μmol/L, 95% CI: −0.58,−0.32, P < 0.001) following probiotic/synbiotic supplementation. None of the variables showed a significant change in the sensitivity analysis.
Conclusion
Available evidence suggests that probiotic/synbiotic supplementation can significantly increase serum TAC, GSH and NO, as well as reduce MDA levels in adults. Therefore, probiotic/synbiotic supplementation may play a role in improving antioxidant indices and reducing oxidative stress in the body.
Acknowledgments
This meta-analysis was supported by the Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Disclosure statement
All authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Authors’ contributions
F.S.H. and B.P. conceived the study and designed the search strategy; B.P. and S.F. conducted the study selection; B.P. and S.F. conducted data extraction; B.P. and F.S.H. evaluated the risk of bias of included studies; S.F. and F.S.H. conducted the data analysis and interpretation of results; B.P. wrote the first draft of the manuscript; F.S.H. and M.-A.G. and M.H.S. revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.