ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2025
Effects of exercise with probiotics, exercise alone, and probiotics alone on physical, motor, affective, and cognitive functions in stroke patients: a randomised controlled trial.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- A New Perspective on the Role ofBiomolecules · 2026Review
- The therapeutic potential ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Potential synergistic effects of exercise and gut microbiota on post-stroke recovery: mechanistic insights and a proposed stage-specific research framework.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPhysical and neuropsychiatric disturbances often persist after stroke, necessitating innovative rehabilitation strategies. Combining exercise with probiotics may synergistically enhance recovery by leveraging neuroplasticity and modulation of the gut-brain axis. This study evaluated the individual and combined effects of exercise and probiotics in stroke patients.
methodsNinety-six patients (32 per group) within 1 year post-stroke were randomized to exercise with probiotics (EWP) (90 min/session multimodal exercise, 3 times weekly, plus probiotics, 1 capsule/day, 3.3 billion CFU Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium lactis, for 8 weeks), exercise alone (EA), or probiotics alone (PA). The primary outcomes of physical disability (modified Rankin Scale [mRS]) and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]-depression sub-scale) and secondary outcomes of motor function (Supplemental Motor Scale of National Institute of Health Stroke Scale [SMSNIHSS]), anxiety (HADS-anxiety sub-scale), and cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA]) were assessed at baseline, 4th week, and 8th week.
resultsEWP showed significantly greater improvements in mRS (p < 0.05, η² = 0.26 at week 4, 0.46 at week 8), SMSNIHSS (p < 0.05, η² = 0.08 at week 4, 0.24 at week 8), HADS-D (p < 0.05, η² = 0.24 at week 8), HADS-A (p < 0.05, η² = 0.07 at week 4, 0.26 at week 8), and MoCA (p < 0.05, η² = 0.18 at week 4, 0.46 at week 8) compared to EA and PA at weeks 4 and 8, except for HADS-D at week 4 (p > 0.05, η² = 0.04). At week 8, EA significantly outperformed PA in mRS, SMSNIHSS, and MoCA (p < 0.05), but not HADS-D or HADS-A (p > 0.05). Transient stomach upset occurred in 9.4% (PA) and 6.3% (EWP), resolved with water. EA reported no adverse events.
conclusionEWP showed superiority compared to either intervention alone in improving physical and motor functions, mood, and cognition in stroke patients. EA outperforms PA in physical, motor, and cognitive outcomes but shows comparable effects on depression and anxiety. Minimal adverse events support EWP's feasibility. These findings underscore the possibility of integrating exercise with probiotics to optimize post-stroke recovery in multiple domains.
trial registrationPan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR202408541705549), 13/08/2024.
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