Data from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 92 people with borderline-to-moderate hypertriglyceridemia indicated that the probiotic supplementation was associated with a 20% reduction in triglyceride levels. Hypertriglyceridemia is said to be a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD).
The 12 week intervention was also associated with a 25% increase in levels of apolipoprotein A-V (apoA-V), a significant modulator of triglycerides, according to findings published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
In addition, researchers from Yonsei University in Seoul reported that the probiotic supplements were associated with significant decreases in the levels of 11 metabolites.
“In the present study, probiotic supplementation affected blood lipid profile and metabolites in plasma. These results indicate that the manipulation of gut microflora through use of probiotics have the potential to influence the metabolism of lipid-regulating pathways and prevent the onset of CVD,” they wrote.
Study details
The Korean researchers divided their 92 volunteers into two groups: One group received 2 grams per day of powder containing five billion colony-forming units (cfu) of L. curvatus HY7601 and five billion cfu of L. plantarum KY1032 for 12 weeks, while the second group received placebo for the same time period.
Results showed that the probiotic group displayed a 20% reduction triglyceride levels and a 25% increase in apoA-V levels. The changes in triglyceride were negatively correlated with changes in apoA-V.
The data also showed that 11 plasma metabolites were significantly reduced in the probiotic group, compared to placebo.
“These significant reductions […] might be a direct effect of probiotics on plasma metabolites, or they might be effects of other probiotic-induced biochemical changes, particularly circulating levels of triglycerides and apoA-V,” wrote the researchers.
“Recent reports of the potential mechanisms of the probiotic effects on lipid metabolism show (1) that the lipid-lowering effect of the probiotic is not because of a redistribution of lipids from the plasma to the liver (rather, it is attributed to a decrease in lipid intestinal absorption or an increase in lipid catabolism); and (2) the reduction of plasma triglyceride level is correlated with the decrease of the triglycerides in VLDL and remnant lipoproteins.
“Additional investigations are needed to identify how the various responses, mechanisms, and relevant pathways related to lipid metabolism are influenced by various probiotics,” they concluded.
Source: Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2015.05.002
“The triglyceride-lowering effect of supplementation with dual probiotic strains, Lactobacillus curvatus HY7601 and Lactobacillus plantarum KY1032: reduction of fasting plasma lysophosphatidylcholines in nondiabetic and hypertriglyceridemic subjects”
Authors: H.Y. Ahn, M. Kim, Y.T. Ahn, J.H. Sim, I.D. Choi, S.H. Lee, J.H. Le