Effect of probiotic supplementation on lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 in type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized double-blind clinical controlled trial

Abstract Background: It has been recently reported that lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) may predict the risk of cardiovascular disease. The effect of multi-strain probiotics on Lp-PLA2 in patients with type 2 diabetes is still not clear. This study aimed to determine the effect of multi-strain probiotic supplementation on lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, and glycemic status, lipid profile, and body composition in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, 68 participants with type 2 diabetes, in the age group of 50-65 years, were recruited and randomly allocated to take either probiotic (n= 34) or placebo (n= 34) for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, and secondary outcomes were glycemic parameters, lipid profile, anthropometric characters, and body composition (fat mass and fat-free mass). Results: There was a significant reduction in serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, in the probiotic group, it dropped by 6.4 units at the end of the study (p <0.001) compared to the placebo group. Probiotic supplementation also resulted in a significant improvements in the hemoglobin A1c and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol 1.5% (p <0.001) and 6 mg/dl (p 0.005). There were no significant changes in other outcomes. Conclusion: We showed that probiotic supplementation was beneficial for reducing Lp-PLA2 and hemoglobin A1c and improving high-density lipoprotein cholesterol which may suggest an improvement in the prognosis in patients with type 2 diabetes.