Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HA-114 improves eating behaviors and mood-related factors in adults with overweight during weight loss: a randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT

Background: Gut microbiota has emerged as a modifiable factor influencing obesity and metabolic diseases. Interventions targeting this microbial community could attenuate biological and psychological comorbidities of excess weight. Objective: Our aim was to determine if Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HA-114 supplementation accentuated beneficial impact of weight loss on metabolic and cognitive health. Methods: This 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessed biological markers of energy metabolism, eating behaviors and mood-related factors in 152 adults with overweight receiving L. rhamnosus HA-114 supplementation or placebo, that were also on a dietary intervention inducing a controlled weight loss. Results: Although probiotic supplementation did not potentiate the reduction in body weight or fat mass, a significant decrease in plasma insulin, HOMA-IR, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides was observed in the probiotic-supplemented group only. With respect to eating behaviors and mood-related factors, beneficial effects were either observed only in the group receiving probiotic supplementation or were significantly greater in this group, including decrease in binge eating tendencies, disinhibition and food-cravings. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the clinical relevance of probiotic supplementation to induce beneficial metabolic and psychological outcomes in individuals with overweight undergoing weight loss.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02962583.

KEYWORDS:

• Probiotics
• psychobiotics
• gut-brain axis
• obesity
• dietary intervention

Acknowledgements

AT is the recipient of a Canada Research Chair in Environment and Energy Balance. AM is the recipient of a CIHR/Pfizer research Chair in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases. BSYC is funded by doctoral scholarships from the Sentinel North program at Laval University (Canada First Research Excellence Fund) and from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Furthermore, the authors would like to thank Christian Couture for his help in statistical analyses, Annie Tremblay for providing valuable edits the manuscript and Amanda Piano for strain quantification by qPCR. The contribution of Catherine Lepage, Maya Purcell and Lola Bourgoin to the dietary supervision of participants is also gratefully acknowledged. Conceptualization: AT, TAT, VD, Methodology: AT, VD, Investigation: BSYC, LB, Visualization: BSYC, Supervision: AT, AM, GP, VD, Project Administration: LB, AT, Funding Acquisition: AT, VD, Writing – Original Draft: BSYC and Writing – Review & Editing: AT, LB, GP, BGC, TAT, VD, AM.

Disclosure statement

This study received funding from Lallemand Inc. The funder had the following involvement with the study: study design, partial data collection, partial data analysis and reviewing of the manuscript. TAT and BCG were employed by the Rosell Institute for Microbiome and Probiotics, the research group of Lallemand Health Solutions Inc.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, AT, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by a grant from Lallemand Inc.