Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24795503›Full record

Trial reportMediators of inflammation2014

Effect of probiotic (VSL#3) and omega-3 on lipid profile, insulin sensitivity, inflammatory markers, and gut colonization in overweight adults: a randomized, controlled trial.

Hemalatha Rajkumar, Naseha Mahmood, Manoj Kumar, Sudarshan Reddy Varikuti, Hanumanth Reddy Challa, Shiva Prakash Myakala

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Mediators of inflammation, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03115385 (Probiotics and the Gut Microbiome in Obese Hispanic Youth), which is not on this map. Cited by 144 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
144citing papers in PubMed, 15 pooled it
9.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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.

NCT03115385 naterminatednot on this mapstarted 2015, after this paper: background citation

Probiotics and the Gut Microbiome in Obese Hispanic Youth

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Southern CaliforniaRan2015 to 2016Enrolled22ConditionsObesity, Abdominal, AdiposityArmsVSL#3, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

144 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 293 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Impacts of Lifestyle and Microbiota-Targeted Interventions for Overweight and Obesity on the Human Gut Microbiome: A Systematic Review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
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  18. Effect of DailyMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025
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84 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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 1 institution in 1 country.

Hemalatha RajkumarDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad 500007, India.
Naseha MahmoodDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad 500007, India.
Manoj KumarDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad 500007, India.
Sudarshan Reddy VarikutiDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad 500007, India.
Hanumanth Reddy ChallaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad 500007, India.
Shiva Prakash MyakalaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad 500007, India.
National Institute of Nutrition · IN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of probiotic (VSL#3) and omega-3 fatty acid on insulin sensitivity, blood lipids, and inflammation, we conducted a clinical trial in 60 overweight (BMI > 25), healthy adults, aged 40-60 years. After initial screening the subjects were randomized into four groups with 15 per group. The four groups received, respectively, placebo, omega-3 fatty acid, probiotic VSL#3, or both omega-3 and probiotic, for 6 weeks. Blood and fecal samples were collected at baseline and after 6 weeks. The probiotic (VSL#3) supplemented group had significant reduction in total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, and VLDL and had increased HDL (P < 0.05) value. VSL#3 improved insulin sensitivity (P < 0.01), decreased hsCRP, and favorably affected the composition of gut microbiota. Omega-3 had significant effect on insulin sensitivity and hsCRP but had no effect on gut microbiota. Addition of omega-3 fatty acid with VSL#3 had more pronounced effect on HDL, insulin sensitivity and hsCRP. Subjects with low HDL, insulin resistance, and high hsCRP had significantly lower total lactobacilli and bifidobacteria count and higher E. coli and bacteroides count.

Indexed as

AdultCholesterolCholesterol, HDLCholesterol, LDLFatty Acids, Omega-3FemaleGastrointestinal TractHumansInflammationInsulin ResistanceLipidsMaleMiddle AgedOverweightProbioticsTriglyceridesCholesterolCholesterol, HDLCholesterol, LDLFatty Acids, Omega-3LipidsTriglycerides

Identifiers

PMID24795503
PMCPMC3984795
OpenAlexW1995373964

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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.