summary: New research suggests that probiotics containing vitamin D may improve cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia. The study involved 70 adults who took either a placebo or a supplement daily for 12 weeks. Those who took the supplement showed improvement on cognitive tests, but not overall disease severity.
Important facts:
- Probiotics + vitamin D may improve cognitive function in schizophrenia.
- MoCA score (cognitive test) increased in the probiotic group.
- PANSS score (disease severity) showed no significant change.
sauce: wiley
Previous studies have questioned whether gut microbial imbalance and vitamin D deficiency are associated with schizophrenia.
New research published in Neuropsychopharmacology report There is now evidence that taking probiotics and vitamin D supplements may improve cognitive function in people with the disease.
In this study, 70 adults with schizophrenia were randomized to receive either a placebo or a probiotic supplement plus 400 IU of vitamin D daily for 12 weeks. Disease severity and cognitive function were assessed using tests called the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the 30-point Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), respectively.
A total of 69 patients completed the study. MoCA scores increased by 1.96 units in the probiotic-containing supplement group compared to the placebo group. Additionally, the proportion of patients with a MoCA score of 26 or higher (indicating normal cognition) increased significantly in the intervention group. Differences between groups in PANSS scores were not significant.
“Probiotics could be a new way to treat mental disorders by modulating the gut microbiome,” said corresponding author Geeta Sadighi, MD, PhD, of the Iranian University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. Ta.
About this schizophrenia research news
author: Sarah Henning Stout
sauce: wiley
contact: Sarah Henning Stout – Wiley
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Open access.
“Coadministration of probiotics and vitamin D significantly improves cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia: a double-blind randomized controlled trial” Gita Sadighi et al. Neuropsychopharmacology report
abstract
Coadministration of probiotics and vitamin D significantly improves cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia: a double-blind randomized controlled trial
target
Manipulating the gut microbiome and providing vitamin D can reduce psychiatric symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. In the current study, we sought to evaluate the effects of probiotic/vitamin D supplementation on cognitive function and disease severity in patients with schizophrenia.
method
In this study, 70 patients with schizophrenia (aged 18–65 years) were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned to placebo (n= 35) and intervention (probiotic supplement + 400 IU vitamin D, n= 35) group. Disease severity and cognitive function (primary outcomes) were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tests, respectively. Additionally, lipid profile, body mass index (BMI), gastrointestinal (GI) issues, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were assessed as secondary outcomes.
result
A total of 69 patients completed the study. MoCA score increased by 1.96 units in the probiotic-containing supplement group compared to placebo (p= 0.004). Additionally, the proportion of subjects with a MoCA score of 26 or higher significantly increased in the intervention group (p= 0.031). Also, TC (p= 0.011), FBS (p= 0.009), CRP (p< 0.001) was significantly reduced in the supplement group compared to placebo. Probiotic supplementation lowered PANSS scores by 2.82 units, but the difference between study groups was not statistically significant (p= 0.247).
conclusion
Coadministration of probiotics and vitamin D has a beneficial effect on improving cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia.
