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A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of the synbiotic medical food, SBD111, for the clinical dietary management of bone loss in menopausal women

Schott EM, Charbonneau MR, Kiel DP, Bukata S, Zuscik MJ, Rosen C, Ballok A, Toledo GV et al.

Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 2025

286 participants · 7 citations

Abstract

This 12-month study in 286 early postmenopausal women evaluated the efficacy and safety of SBD111, a synbiotic medical food, in reducing bone loss. SBD111 did not significantly reduce bone loss for the full cohort, but did produce evidence of reduced bone loss in women with osteopenia and BMI ≥ 30.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of SBD111, a synbiotic medical food comprising probiotics and prebiotics, in reducing bone loss in women post-menopause, including prespecified subpopulations of women with osteopenia or elevated BMI.

Methods: In this prospective, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical food trial (NCT05009875), 286 healthy, non-osteoporotic women between 1 and 6 years post-menopause were enrolled and consumed SBD111 (4.75 × 1010 colony forming units) or placebo (maltodextrin) capsules twice daily for 12 months. The primary endpoint was change in areal BMD at the lumbar spine (LS). Secondary endpoints included change in areal BMD at the femoral neck (FN) and total hip (TH), trabecular volumetric BMD at the LS, markers of bone turnover and inflammation, and safety. Changes in gut microbiome composition were exploratory. The hypotheses being tested were formulated before data collection.

Results: Two hundred eighty-six women [age 55 ± 3 years (mean ± standard deviation)] were enrolled, with 221 (77%) completing the study. For the primary outcome, SBD111 administration was not associated with significantly less bone loss in the LS after 12…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 286 participants or records.

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