Table 3.
Outcome variables at baseline and after 9 weeks' intervention.
| Variable | Group A a | Group B b | p-value | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Post-intervention | Δc | P-value | Baseline | Post-intervention | Δc | p-value | ||
| Serum Magnesium (mg/dl) | 2.00 ± 0.16 | 1.97 ± 0.16 | −0.03 ± 0.16 | 0.179£ | 1.97 ± 0.22 | 2.00 ± 0.23 | 0.03 ± 0.13 | 0.155£ | 0.053¶ |
| Serum Zonulin (ng/ml) | 13.73 (8.92, 18.88) | 15.06 (9.63, 18.53) | 0.11 ± 5.13 | 0.858Ω | 13.02 (10.00, 18.25) | 13.30 (10.48, 16.80) | −0.17 ± 6.60 | 0.455Ω | 0.873¶ |
| Serum LPS (ng/ml) | 217 (179.50, 256.50) | 210.50 (171.75, 262.25) | −3.04 ± 44.75 | 0.485Ω | 217.00 (181.00, 264.00) | 229 (178.75, 264.75) | 1.40 ± 48.78 | 0.661Ω | 0.754¶ |
| CRP (mg/l) | 5705.95 ± 3583.72 | 5231.19 ± 3576.39 | −474.75 (−1300,−125) | 0.090£ | 6201.82 ± 4705.63 | 6701.18 ± 4235.99 | 175.20 (−957.75, 1683.25) | 0.240£ | 0.016R |
| BDI-II (score) | 21.00 (15.00, 29.00) | 15.00 (7.00, 22.00) | −7.13 ± 5.67 | < 0.001Ω | 20.50 (15.00, 25.00) | 13 (8.00, 24.50) | −5.42 ± 6.71 | < 0.001 Ω | 0.246¶ |
| MoCA (score) | 24.99 ± 2.99 | 26.12 ± 2.66 | 1.20 ± 2.16 | 0.001£ | 24.20 ± 3.47 | 26.15 ± 2.88 | 1.94 ± 1.86 | < 0.001£ | 0.124¶ |
Data are presented as mean ± SD and median (Q1, Q3) for normally and non-normally distributed variables, respectively.
aGroup A: intervention group, received one probiotic capsule (Probio-Tec®BG-VCap-6.5 Pla V2, containing 1.8 × 10 10 CFU Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis) plus one magnesium chloride capsule (containing 125 mg elemental magnesium), on a daily basis for 9 weeks.
bGroup B: received two placebo capsules containing maltodextrin on a daily basis for 9 weeks.
c Δ calculated as: [post-intervention – baseline] in each study group.
£ p-values obtained from paired samples t-test.
Ω p-values obtained from Wilcoxon signed ranked test.
¶ p-values obtained from independent samples t- test.
R p-value obtained from Mann-Whitney U test.
*P ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; Mg, Magnesium; CRP, C-reactive protein; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; MoCA, Montreal cognitive assessment test; BDI-II, Beck depression inventory-II test; CFU, Colony Forming Unit.