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

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. 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). 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 improvement in the hemoglobin A1c and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol 1.5% (p < 0.001) and 6 mg/dl (p 0.005), respectively. There were no significant changes in other outcomes. 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.