Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients in the two groups
| Characteristics | Placebo (n = 74) | Probiotics (n = 77) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | 0.122 | ||
| Male | 44 (59.46%) | 55 (71.43%) | |
| Female | 30 (40.54%) | 22 (28.57%) | |
| Agea | 45.32 ± 10.98 | 43.29 ± 11.30 | 0.263 |
| BMIa | 23.30 ± 3.48 | 23.30 ± 3.65 | 0.996 |
| Education | 0.904 | ||
| Primary | 15 (20.27%) | 12 (15.58%) | |
| Junior | 21 (28.38%) | 22 (28.57%) | |
| Senior | 20 (27.03%) | 22 (28.57%) | |
| Bachelor | 17 (22.97%) | 18 (23.38%) | |
| Postgraduate | 1 (1.35%) | 3 (3.90%) | |
| Job | 0.607 | ||
| Manual labor | 22 (29.73%) | 20 (25.97%) | |
| Mental labor | 52 (70.27%) | 57 (74.03%) | |
| Marital status | 0.219 | ||
| Unmarried | 9 (12.16%) | 15 (19.48%) | |
| Married | 65 (87.84%) | 62 (80.52%) | |
| Smoking | 13 (17.57%) | 12 (15.58%) | 0.915 |
| Alcohol | 17 (22.97%) | 14 (18.18%) | 0.676 |
| Yogurt | 9 (12.16%) | 11 (14.29%) | 0.700 |
| Exercise | 11 (14.86%) | 14 (18.18%) | 0.584 |
aData are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD)