Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22572834›Full record

Trial reportGut microbes

Gut Balance, a synbiotic supplement, increases fecal Lactobacillus paracasei but has little effect on immunity in healthy physically active individuals.

Nicholas P West, David B Pyne, Allan W Cripps, Claus T Christophersen, Michael A Conlon, Peter A Fricker

Open access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Gut microbes. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Does Multi-Strain Probiotic Supplementation Impact the Effort Capacity of Competitive Road Cyclists?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Trial
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  10. Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Effects of SynbioticFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
    Article
  18. Review
  19. Overview of the Importance of Biotics in Gut Barrier Integrity.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022
    Review
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Nicholas P WestDepartment of Physiology, Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, Australia.
David B Pyne
Allan W Cripps
Claus T Christophersen
Michael A Conlon
Peter A Fricker
Australian Sports Commission · AUGriffith University · AUHealth Sciences and Nutrition · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Synbiotic supplements, which contain multiple functional ingredients, may enhance the immune system more than the use of individual ingredients alone. A double blind active controlled parallel trial over a 21 d exercise training period was conducted to evaluate the effect of Gut Balance™, which contains Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei (L. casei 431®), Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis (BB-12®), Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA-5®), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG®), two prebiotics (raftiline and raftilose) and bovine whey derived lactoferrin and immunoglobulins with acacia gum on fecal microbiota, short chain fatty acids (SCFA), gut permeability, salivary lactoferrin and serum cytokines. All subjects randomized were included in the analysis. There was a 9-fold (1.2-fold to 64-fold; 95% confidence intervals p = 0.03) greater increase in fecal L. paracasei numbers with Gut Balance™ compared with acacia gum supplementation. Gut Balance™ was associated with a 50% (-12% to 72%; p = 0.02) smaller increase in the concentration of serum IL-16 in comparison to acacia gum from pre- to post-study. No substantial effects of either supplement were evident in fecal SCFA concentrations, measures of mucosal immunity or GI permeability. Clinical studies are now required to determine whether Gut Balance™ may exert beneficial GI health effects by increasing the recovery of fecal L. paracasei. Both supplements had little effect on immunity. Twenty two healthy physically active male subjects (mean age = 33.9 ± 6.5y) were randomly allocated to either daily prebiotic or synbiotic supplementation for 21 d. Saliva, blood, urine and fecal samples were collected pre-, mid and post-intervention. Participants recorded patterns of physical activity on a self-reported questionnaire.

Indexed as

Bacterial LoadSynbioticsAdultCytokinesDietDouble-Blind MethodFatty AcidsFecesGastrointestinal TractHumansLactobacillusLactoferrinMaleSalivaSerumCytokinesFatty AcidsLactoferrin

Identifiers

PMID22572834
PMCPMC3427214
OpenAlexW1965593658

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.