Trial reportScientific reports2021
Probiotics as a treatment for prenatal maternal anxiety and depression: a double-blind randomized pilot trial.
Trial report in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effects of Prebiotics and Probiotics on Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Clinically Diagnosed Samples: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Nutrition reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of gut microbiome-targeted treatment in patients with depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Understanding the research landscape of over-the-counter herbal products, dietary supplements, and medications evaluated for depressive symptoms in adults: a scoping review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics on depression: results from a meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Impact of probiotic on anxiety and depression symptoms in pregnant and lactating women and microbiota of infants: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of global health · 2023Pooled it
- The current state of research for psychobiotics use in the management of psychiatric disorders-A systematic literature review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- The Gut Microbiome in Depression and Potential Benefit of Prebiotics, Probiotics and Synbiotics: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials and Observational Studies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The impact of ingestion of Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 on perinatal anxiety and depressive symptoms: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Maternal mood, anxiety and mental health functioning after combined myo-inositol, probiotics, micronutrient supplementation from preconception: Findings from the NiPPeR RCT.Psychiatry research · 2024Trial
- Probiotic effects on brain health are both transient and sustained for several weeks after discontinuation: a randomised controlled trial.Communications medicine · 2026Article
- Probiotic supplementation for anxiety symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.NPJ Parkinson's disease · 2026Article
- Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis Disruption, Neuroinflammation, and Potential Antioxidant-Based Treatments in Metabolic Diseases.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Gestational constipation and the gut microbiota: mechanisms, interventions, and implications for maternal and offspring health.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Reproductive experience influences the effects of Lactocaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001 on gut microbiota and hippocampal plasticity in female rats.Journal of neuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Review
- Effects of combined preconception and prenatal myo-inositol, probiotics, and trace element supplementation on the outcomes of depressed mothers.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Critical Review of the Cross-Links Between Dietary Components, the Gut Microbiome, and Depression.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- The gut microbiota-brain axis in neurological disorders.MedComm · 2024Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Probiotic use may be an efficacious treatment option to effectively manage symptoms of prenatal maternal anxiety and depression. Our primary aim was to test feasibility and acceptability for a probiotic randomized controlled trial (RCT) in pregnant women with pre-existing symptoms. This double-blind pilot RCT included 40 pregnant women with low-risk pregnancies and elevated depressive symptoms and/or anxiety. Once daily, participants orally consumed a probiotic (Ecologic Barrier) or a placebo, from 26 to 30 weeks gestation until delivery. A priori key progression criteria for primary outcomes were determined to decide whether or not a full RCT was feasible and acceptable. Secondary outcomes included depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, and maternal bonding to offspring. In 19 months, 1573 women were screened; following screening, 155 women (10%) were invited for participation, of whom 135 (87%) received study information, and 40 women (30%) were included. Four out of six a priori determined criteria for success on feasibility and acceptability were met. After 8 weeks of intervention, there was no significant difference between the probiotic and placebo groups for secondary outcomes. The pilot trial was feasible and acceptable, but hampered by recruitment method and study design. Secondary endpoints did not reveal differences between the groups for improving maternal mood.
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