SynthesisNutrition journal2025
Effects of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on gut microbiota in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Nutrition journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Gut microbiome modulation can improve cognitive function in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Age and ageing · 2026Pooled it
- Mechanisms of Brain Aging and Their Links to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease Pathology.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Circadian gatekeepers of the gut-brain-immune axis: implications for neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Review
- State-of-the-Art Review on Probiotics, Synbiotics, and Microbial Metabolites: Molecular Mechanisms Shaping Host Immunity, Metabolic Health, and Chronic Disease Prevention.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2026Review
- The Application of Metabolomics in Frailty: Trends, Challenges, and Future Directions.Metabolites · 2026Review
- Effects of a Novel Prebiotic and Postbiotic Dietary Supplement on Gut Microbiota, Intestinal Barrier Markers, and Inflammation in Healthy Dogs.Veterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Oxidative Stress-Gut Microbiome Crosstalk: Intestinal Redox Imbalance and Probiotics Therapeutic Potential.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The Immuno-Glial Connectome in Alzheimer's Disease: Integrating Central and Peripheral Inflammatory Networks.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- Application and Challenges of Using ProbioticDiseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThere is a lack of evidence on microbial compositions and associated metabolic changes in probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics (PPS) in older adults.
objectiveThis meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effects of PPS on gut microbiota composition, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and inflammatory markers in older adults.
methodsPubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to May 2025. RCTs were included if they examined microbiome-related outcomes in individuals aged ≥ 60 years following PPS interventions. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool was adopted for Quality appraisal. Meta-analysis was performed in RevMan 5.3, with standardized mean difference (SMD) as effect measures.
results29 RCTs were included, involving 1,633 participants. PPS supplementation notably increased Bifidobacterium abundance (prebiotics: SMD = 1.09; probiotics: SMD = 0.40), whereas synbiotics showed no overall effect but enhanced the abundance of specific strains (B. angulatum, B. longum, B. breve). Probiotic supplementation enhanced microbial diversity (Shannon index: SMD = 0.76), while synbiotics increased Lactobacillus casei abundance (SMD = 0.75) and reduced Pseudomonas levels (SMD = -0.55). For inflammatory markers, prebiotics increased IL-10 levels (SMD = 0.61) and reduced IL-1β (SMD = -0.39), whereas synbiotics reduced TNF-α (SMD = -0.36). Synbiotic supplementation enhanced valeric acid (SMD = 0.50) and acetic acid levels (SMD = 0.62).
conclusionPPS interventions demonstrated potential benefits for older adults by increasing beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus casei, reducing harmful genera like Pseudomonas, improving anti-inflammatory responses, and enhancing the production of SCFAs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.