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Effect of Two Probiotic Formulations on Mental Health and Mood Biomarkers in Adults With Depressive Symptoms

Effect of Two Probiotic Formulations on Mental Health and Mood Biomarkers in Adults With Depressive Symptoms: A Pilot Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05564767
Enrollment
62
Registered
2022-10-04
Start date
2022-10-17
Completion date
2023-03-20
Last updated
2023-08-21

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Depression, Anxiety

Brief summary

This is a 3-arm, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial. Sixty adults presenting with depressive symptoms will be randomly allocated to one of 3 groups comprising (1) Bifidobacterium adolescentis or (2) Lactocaseibacillus rhamnosus LGG and Bifidobacterium BB-12 or (3) a placebo for 12 weeks. At baseline (Visit 2), midpoint (Visit 3) and end-of-study (Visit 4) visits, participants meeting eligibility criteria will complete the BDI-II, BAI, DASS-21 and PROMIS Sleep questionnaires and blood samples will be collected for biomarker assessments. Fecal samples will be collected prior to the baseline and end-of-study visits for microbial profiling.

Detailed description

This is a 3-arm, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial. Sixty adults presenting with depressive symptoms will be randomly allocated to one of 3 groups comprising (1) Bifidobacterium adolescentis or (2) Lactocaseibacillus rhamnosus LGG and Bifidobacterium BB-12 or (3) a placebo for 12 weeks. At screening (Visit 1), the study design will be explained to participants, following which signed GDPR and study informed consent will be obtained. Participants will be assessed for eligibility, medical history and concomitant therapies. At baseline (Visit 2), midpoint (Visit 3) and end-of-study (Visit 4) visits, participants meeting eligibility criteria will complete the BDI-II, BAI, DASS-21 and PROMIS Sleep questionnaires and blood samples will be collected for biomarker assessments. Fecal samples will be collected prior to the baseline and end-of-study visits for microbial profiling.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTB. adolescentis Bif-038

B. adolescentis Bif-038 (probiotic capsule) delivered orally once daily at a minimum of 5 billion CFU/day

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTLacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, LGG® and Bifidobacterium, BB-12®

Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, LGG® and Bifidobacterium, BB-12® (probiotic capsule) delivered orally once daily at a minimum of 1 billion CFU/day

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTPlacebo

Placebo capsule delivered orally once daily

Sponsors

Chr Hansen
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Generally healthy adults (male and female) 18 to 65 years 2. Currently experiencing depressive symptoms as indicated by a score of between 20 and 40 on the BDI-II at both the screening and baseline visit 3. Body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 30.0 kg/m2 4. Non-smoker 5. No plan to change dietary or exercise habits during the study period 6. No recent history (within 3 months) or plan to commence new treatments over the study period 7. Willing and able to take probiotic/placebo regimen for 12 weeks 8. Understand, willing and able to comply with all study procedures 9. Willing to provide a personally signed and dated informed consent form detailing all pertinent aspects of the trial.

Exclusion criteria

1. Suffering from recently diagnosed or unmanaged medical conditions including but not limited to: diabetes, hyper/hypotension, cardiovascular disease, a gastrointestinal disease requiring regular use of medications, gallbladder disease, autoimmune disease, endocrine disease, acute or chronic pain condition, or cancer/malignancy 2. Diagnosis of psychiatric or neurological conditions including but not limited to: psychiatric disorders other than mild-to-moderate depression and/or anxiety disorder, or neurological disease (e.g., Parkinson's, Alzheimer's disease, intracranial hemorrhage, head or brain injury) 3. Regular medication intake, including but not limited to anticholinergics, anti-epileptics, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, opioids, or corticosteroids. 4. Within 2 months before screening, the use of pharmaceutical medications, including but not limited to immunosuppressant drugs, antibiotics, and steroids 5. Change in medication (dose or type) in the last 3 months or an expectation to change during the study duration. Permitted medications include, but are not limited to, pharmaceutical antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), cholesterol-lowering medications, antihypertensives, proton pump inhibitors, and thyroid medications, 6. Use of probiotics or mood support supplement up to 4 weeks before study commencement 7. Current or 12-month history of illicit drug abuse 8. Alcohol intake greater than 14 standard drinks per week 9. Any significant surgeries over the last year 10. Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or intend to fall pregnant

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) score12 weeksChange in BDI-II score after 12 weeks

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21) total score12 weeksChange in DASS-21 total score
DASS-21 Stress score12 weeksChange in DASS-21 Stress score
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) score12 weeksChange in BAI score
DASS-21 Anxiety score12 weeksChange in DASS-21 Anxiety score
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor blood concentration12 weeksChange in brain-derived neurotrophic factor blood concentration
DASS-21 Depression score12 weeksChange in DASS-21 Depression score

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Intestinal fatty acid-binding protein blood concentration12 weeksChange in intestinal fatty acid-binding protein blood concentration
Blood cortisol concentration12 weeksChange in blood cortisol concentration
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha blood concentration12 weeksChange in tumor necrosis factor-alpha blood concentration
Heart rate variability12 weeksChange in heart rate variability via electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements
Fecal microbial profile12 weeksChange in fecal microbial profile via shotgun metagenomic sequencing
Hair cortisol concentration12 weeksChange in hair cortisol concentration
Interleukin-6 blood concentration12 weeksChange in interleukin-6 blood concentration
PROMIS Sleep Disturbance and Sleep-Related Impairment Scale score12 weeksChange in PROMIS Sleep Disturbance and Sleep-Related Impairment Scale score
Interleukin-1beta blood concentration12 weeksChange in interleukin-1beta blood concentration
High sensitivity C-reactive protein blood concentration12 weeksChange in high sensitivity C-reactive protein blood concentration
Interferon-gamma blood concentration12 weeksChange in interferon-gamma blood concentration
Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein blood concentration12 weeksChange in lipopolysaccharide-binding protein blood concentration

Countries

Australia

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026