Table 2.
Studies with postbiotics later in life, including adults and elderly (>18 years).
| Study | Type of study | Intervention | Comparison | N (age) | Population | Duration | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tapiovaara et al. 2016 [99] | Double-blind, placebo controlled randomized, pilot study | Juice containing live or heat inactivated L. rhamnosus GG | Control juice without live or heat inactivated bacteria | 59 (18–65 years) | Healthy subjects | 6 weeks | A tendency towards the lowest HRV loads in the live L. rhamnosus GG group, and highest in the placebo group (on day 2: Live 6.20, heat inactivated 6.30 and placebo 7.25, p = 0.57). HRV load positively correlated with symptom scores (p = 0.034) |
| Sawada et al. 2016 [93] | Double-blind placebo controlled randomized study | Fermented milk beverage with sterilized L. gasseri CP2305 | Artificially acidified milk-based placebo beverage | 39 (20–70 years of age) | Healthy individuals with a tendency towards constipation (N = 20) or frequent bowel movements (N = 19) | 3 weeks | In the intervention group, scores on the Bristol stool scale improved significantly after 3 weeks of intervention (p < 0.05). Output and color tone were also improved, especially in subjects with a tendency towards constipation. Moreover, SCFAs (propionate, butyrate and valeric acid) were significantly increased as well as Clostridium cluster IV and a beneficial effect on the regulation of intestinal function was found. |
| Shinkai et al. 2013 [97] | Double-blind placebo controlled randomized study | Tablets containing heat killed L. pentosus b240 in a low (2 × 109) or high (2 × 1010) dose | Placebo tablets without L. pentosus b240 | 280 (>65 years) | Healthy elderly | 20 weeks | Results for high dose vs. low dose vs. placebo were, for the accumulated incidence rate of common cold: 29.0% vs. 34.8% vs. 47.3% respectively (p for trend = 0.012). General health perception, measured by SF-36, increased in both intervention groups (p for trend = 0.016). |
| Arimori et al. 2012 [98] | Randomized single-blind placebo-controlled study | Tablets containing heat-killed L. plantarum L-137 | Placebo tablets without L. plantarum L-137 | 16 (45.4 ± 8.1 years) | Healthy women | 8 weeks | No differences were found between groups in seroresponse rate and geometric mean Ab titers after the first or second dose of inactivated influenza vaccine. Levels of IFN-β were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the placebo group (p < 0.05). Moreover, type I IFN production was enhanced in the intervention group. |
| Terrerias et al. 2011 [94] | Observational study | Inactivated Lactobacillus LB and fermented culture medium (Lacteol LB) | n.a. | 297 (53.4 ± 17.3 years) | Patients with IBS-D | 1 month | Pain scores decreased from 4.46 ± 0.15 to 2.8 ± 0.14 after treatment (p < 0.0001), as well as bloating from 4.49 ± 0.18 to 2.5 ± 0.15 (p < 0.0001). The HRQOL score, inversely correlated with quality of life, decreased from 5.99 ± 0.14 to 3.92 ± 0.16 (p < 0.0001). Mean number of stools per week also decreased from 17.59 to 12.83 after treatment (p < 0.0001). |
| Moroi et al. 2011 [96] | Double-blind placebo controlled randomized study | Heat-killed L. paracasei K71 | Placebo without L. paracasei K71 | 34 (20–65 years) | Patients with mild or moderate atopic dermatitis | 12 weeks | Skin severity scores decreased significantly in the intervention group, not in the placebo group (p < 0.05). Itch scores and QOL was not significantly different between groups. Consumption of topical therapeutics was 1.9 times higher compared to the intervention group, but not significantly different. |
| Xiao et al. 2002 [95] | Prospective, randomized trial | Live or heat-killed L. acidophilus LB | n.a. | 137 (17–92 years) | Patients with chronic diarrhea | 4 weeks | Mean bowel frequency was significantly lower in the heat-killed L. acidophilus LB group compared to the live L. acidophilus LB group (1.88 ± 1.24 vs. 2.64 ± 1.12 at week 2 and 1.39 ± 0.92 vs. 2.19 ± 1.05 at week 4, p < 0.05). Improvement in stool consistency, abdominal pain, distention and feeling of incomplete evacuation were significantly higher in the heat-killed L. acidophilus LB group. |
Ab: Antibody, AEs: Adverse events, HRV: Human rhinovirus, HRQOL: Health related quality of life, IBS-D: Irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea predominant, IFN-β: interferon- β, SCFAs: Short-chain fatty acids, SD: Standard deviation, QOL: Quality of life.