Abstract
Background: Probiotics are live beneficial microorganisms which may exert hypolipidemic effects through many mechanisms. Lipid profile disturbances are frequently reported in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus casei on serum lipids of RA women. Methods: In the present parallel randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, 60 RA patients were recruited and divided into 2 groups. They received either a daily capsule containing 108 CFU of L. casei 01, or identical capsules containing maltodextrin, for 8 weeks. Anthropometric parameters, dietary intake and physical activity were assessed at 2 ends of the study. Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) were measured. Independent-samples t test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) test, and paired t test were used to test between- and within-group differences, respectively. Results: There were no significant between- or within-group differences for demographic and anthropometric parameters, physical activity and dietary intakes, throughout the study. No statistically significant within-group changes were observed for serum lipids in either group; between-group differences were also insignificant by the end of study period (TC: -0.18 [-0.65, 0.29], P = 0.801, HDL-C: -1.66 [-19.28, 15.59], P = 0.663, LDL-C: -2.73 [-19.17, 13.73], P = 0.666, TG: 0.12 [-19.76, 20.00], P = 0.900). Conclusion: Lactobacillus casei 01 could not improve serum lipids in RA patients. Further studies using probiotic foods and different probiotic strains are suggested.
Highlights
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common systemic inflammatory disease characterized by severe pain in joints and functional disability; it is of unknown etiology and affects 0.5%-1.0% of adults.[1,2] Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are prevalent among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and account for approximately half of the deaths in RA.[3]
Thirty eligible subjects recruited from rheumatology clinic of Sina hospital and Sheykholrayis Polyclinic (Tabriz, Iran), 96 Health Promot Perspect, 2017, Volume 7, Issue 2 were randomized in each group using a computer generated blocked randomization list stratified by 2 factors, menopausal status and body mass index (BMI) range (30 kg.m-2); randomization was performed by the technician who measured anthropometric measures of the participants
In the present clinical trial, we found no beneficial effects of the probiotic supplement containing L. casei on serum lipids of RA patients
Summary
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common systemic inflammatory disease characterized by severe pain in joints and functional disability; it is of unknown etiology and affects 0.5%-1.0% of adults.[1,2] Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are prevalent among RA patients and account for approximately half of the deaths in RA.[3]. Probiotics are “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”[9]; these benefits are strain-specific.[10] Clinical trials investigating beneficial effects of probiotics on lipid profile in both healthy and hyperlipidemic participants have come up with promising results.[11,12,13,14] A sys-. Vaghef-Mehrabany et al tematic review by Guo et al revealed that probiotics can reduce plasma total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) in subjects with normal, borderline high and high cholesterol levels.[15] Strains of the species Lactobacillus casei have shown hypolipidemic effects in some animal studies. The objective of the present clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of L. casei 01 supplementation on serum TG, TC, LDL-C and HDL-C in RA women. This study is a secondary analysis from a previously published study.[19]
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