14 Jun 2023 --- Supplementation with a probiotic and herbal blend of four weeks increased the volume asthmatic patients could exhale in a one-second forced breath by 8.4%. The authors suggest this is due to increased short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the participants of the clinical trial. However, more extensive and longer-term studies are needed to confirm the correlation.
The researchers determined that the supplement used – ResB Lung Support, developed by ResBiotic Nutrition – was safe and well-tolerated in healthy volunteers and asthmatic patients.
Nutrition Insight discusses the study’s outcomes with its corresponding author, Dr. Vivek Lal, from the University of Alabama, US, who co-founded ResBiotic Nutrition.
“Being a first-of-its-kind product, the study was primarily set to test the safety of a probiotic and herbal blend in a clinical setting. Healthy consumers were used as the control group where pre- and post-effects were tested. No placebo group was employed. Nevertheless, secondary outcomes of the study included pre- and post-supplementation efficacy data.”
The supplement contains a mix of probiotic bacteria strains developed by ResBiotic Nutrition – Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus – plus the herbal extracts of vasaka (Adhatoda vasica root), holy basil (Ocimum sanctum leaf) and turmeric (Curcuma longa root).
Study set up
In the clinical trial, eleven healthy and eleven asthmatic participants took the probiotic and herbal blend twice a day for 28 days. The researchers measured quality of life through a questionnaire submitted by participants and assessed lung function, gut microbiome ecology and inflammatory biomarkers.
In the clinical trial, the lung function of asthmatic patients was significantly improved.The researchers note that the probiotic did not lead to significant alterations in the global gut microbiome of participants. They explain that this agrees with earlier studies that demonstrate limited long-term microbiota changes from probiotics.
The gut microbiome of asthmatic patients held a higher concentration of proteobacteria Escherichia coli than those of healthy participants. Earlier studies have linked similar proteobacteria to an increased risk of respiratory disease.
The research team suggests that the trial needed to be longer to capture changes in perceived symptoms after taking the supplement.
“Overall, these findings are encouraging and pave the path for larger placebo control RCTs (randomized controlled trials), powered for specific indications. There are already ongoing studies specifically powered for testing the efficacy of ResB on quality of life in customers with three months duration,” adds Lal.
Short-chain fatty acids
SCFA levels in asthmatic patients were improved within four weeks of administering resB, explains Lal. According to the researchers, these outcomes suggest a pre-existing deficiency in this group.
“SCFA levels showed increasing trends even in the healthy population, but the data was not statistically significant at the four weeks time point,” Lal continues.
He speculates, “There could be specific mechanisms which could be native to microbiome-host interactions in patients with lung diseases which may regulate differential SCFA expression compared to the healthy population.”
Moreover, healthy populations might need a longer administration duration to see SCFA benefits. However, these speculations “will have to be tested more to determine causality,” cautions Lal.
Gut-lung axis
Lal states that the gut-lung axis is being studied extensively in respiratory medicine worldwide, adding that “new research should focus more on the role gut microbiome plays on systemic conditions.”
“In this day and age, when consumers are exposed to several lung damaging stimuli such as air pollution, smoke, viruses and lung diseases, proactive respiratory health solutions are of the utmost importance,” emphasizes Lal.
“The impact of how the gut microbiome communicates with lungs to impact better breathing is being increasingly recognized. This study cements the finding of our previous preclinical publications on ResB, which was published in 2022.”
The supplement studied contains a mix of probiotic bacteria and herbal extracts.In the earlier study, the researchers applied in vitro and in vivo models to the supplement, which indicated it reduced neutrophilic inflammation in the lungs, which is common in many severe lung diseases. Neutrophils make up a large share of white blood cells.
Quality of life improvements
Among asthmatic and smoking participants, 36% experienced an improvement in their overall health, 43% coughed less frequently, 43% felt short of breath less often and 29% noted fewer cough or breathing-related sleep disturbances.
“Based on anecdotal consumer data, at least two to three months of regimen is needed to see substantial respiratory benefits. There were improvements seen in the quality of life score in users and some functional benefits with just one month of use in this study,” explains Lal.
He adds that new large placebo RCTs are already being conducted to address limitations in the current study.
In earlier research, probiotics have been linked to fewer respiratory symptoms in obese middle-aged adults.
Moreover, a clinical trial on a probiotic formulation from AB-Biotics, part of the Kaneka Group, exhibited significant positive effects in COVID-19 outpatients, possibly by influencing the gut-lung axis.
“This study will help bring ResB to a much wider consumer audience, who are looking for a science-backed, proactive and safe way to improve their respiratory health,” concludes Lal.
ResBiotic Nutrition plans to launch similar science-backed products in its portfolio this year.
By Jolanda van Hal
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