The Effect of Probiotics on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study

Depression has been associated with cardiovascular disease in previous research. They also have stated that probiotics have a protective effect against cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of probiotics in this association.

In this study, fifty patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who were candidates for fluoxetine were randomly selected and divided into two groups. One group received fluoxetine (20 mg) with a probiotic supplement which contained Lactobacillus holoticus and Bifidobacterium langum (2 × 109 CFU/g for each) and another group received fluoxetine with a placebo during 8-week period. 10 ml of fasting blood was taken from patients for biochemical measurements.

After 8 weeks of intervention, patients in the probiotic group had significant decrease in serum highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels compared with the placebo group (2.599± 0.990 vs. 2.704 ± 1.361 ng/ml, P = 0.017). At the end of the study, although, there was significant increase in catalase (30.06 ± 3.443 vs. 26.24 ± 6.908 U, P = 0.037) and decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) (15.13 ± 3.574vs. 17.40 ± 3.170 mg/dl, P = 0.029) levels in the probiotic group, but after 8 weeks, there was no significant difference between the two groups. Other variables did not change significantly.

Although probiotics can improve cardiovascular status by reducing general inflammation in the body, they are not specifically associated with lower risk of cardiovascular diseases