Probiotics Improve Clinical and Metabolic Response in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

by | Oct 14, 2020 | 2019, Brain Health, Parkinson's, Probiotics

Written by Angeline A. De Leon, Staff Writer. Twelve weeks of probiotic supplementation improved movement and certain metabolic parameters in patients with Parkinson’s Disease.

probiotic capsuleAlthough Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurological disorder primarily affecting balance, movement, and coordination, almost half of all PD patients also present with cognitive impairment 1. Neurodegenerative diseases like PD have been linked to changes in gut microbiota which may impact cognition, learning, and memory 2. More than 50% of PD patients also experience alterations in metabolic function 3, with recent epidemiological evidence suggesting a significant association between PD and type 2 diabetes 4. The impact of PD, therefore, influences various dimensions of health and wellbeing. The involvement of a number of different factors has been hypothesized, ranging from oxidative stress and inflammatory processes to mitochondrial dysfunction and excitotoxicity 5. Growing evidence now also suggests the availability of certain therapeutic approaches, namely probiotic supplementation, which can significantly improve not only markers of cardiometabolic risk in neurodegenerative disease patients, but clinical symptoms as well 6. By attenuating the production of inflammatory factors and bolstering concentrations of short chain fatty acids in the gut, probiotics have been shown to significantly improve clinical response in patients 7,8. One study, for example, reported that 12 weeks of probiotic consumption in patients with Alzheimer’s disease was able to effectively improve cognitive function and diminish biomarkers of inflammation 9. In a 2018 Clinical Nutrition study 10, researchers examined the impact of probiotic intake on clinical and metabolic parameters in PD patients.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was carried out in a group of 60 PD patients (mean age = 68 years) who were randomly assigned to receive 8 x 109 CFU of a probiotic formula (containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Lactobacillus fermentum) or placebo once daily for 12 weeks. At baseline and at 12-week follow-up, patients were administered the Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), and fasting blood samples were collected and analyzed for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) levels. Metabolic profile was also assessed using the Homeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI).

Final results showed a significant decrease in MDS-UPDRS score with probiotic supplementation vs. placebo (-4.8 +/- 12.5 vs. 3.8 +/- 13.0, p = 0.01). Probiotic treatment also resulted in lower hs-CRP (-1.6 +/- 2.5 vs. 0.1 +/- 0.3 mg/L, p < 0.001) and MDA levels (-0.2 +/- 0.3 vs. 0.1 +/- 0.3 µmol/L, p = 0.006), as well as increased levels of GSH (40.1 +/- 81.5 vs. -12.1 +/- 41.7 µmol/L, p = 0.03), relative to placebo. Finally, probiotic intake was seen to significantly decrease insulin levels (-2.1 +/- 3.4 vs. 1.5 +/- 5.1 µIU/mL, p = 0.002) and HOMA-IR (-0.5 +/- 0.9 vs. 0.4 +/- 1.2, p = 0.002), compared to placebo, while significantly increasing QUICKI (0.01 +/- 0.02 vs. -0.006 +/- 0.02, p = 0.01).

The current investigation provides evidence to support the clinical efficacy of probiotic intake in improving markers of clinical and metabolic function in patients with PD. Supplementation with a probiotic blend consisting of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains proved effective in improving MDS-UPDRS scores and reducing markers of inflammation and oxidative stress associated with PD. Moreover, probiotic intake over a period of 12 weeks was found to favorably impact metabolic profile, effectively reducing insulin levels and insulin resistance while enhancing insulin sensitivity. Findings, therefore, confirm the dynamic clinical utility of probiotic treatment for a neurodegenerative disease like PD. It would be necessary in future studies, however, to discern the specific combination of probiotic strains that would be most effective for improving clinical and metabolic parameters in PD. Limitations of the current study relate to the absence of fecal sample analysis to track changes in microbiota profile and failure to account for dietary sources of probiotics, such as yogurt and kombucha.

Source: Tamtaji OR, Taghizadeh M, Kakhaki RD, et al. Clinical and metabolic response to probiotic administration in people with Parkinson’s disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Clinical Nutrition. 2019; 38(3): 1031-1035. DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2018.05.018.

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Posted October 13, 2020.

Angeline A. De Leon, MA, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in neuroscience. She received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2013, where she studied clinical neuroscience within an integrative health program. Her specialized area of research involves the complementary use of neuroimaging and neuropsychology-based methodologies to examine how lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and meditation, can influence brain plasticity and enhance overall connectivity. http://www.naturalhealthresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Angeline.jpg

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