Changes in gut microbiota following supplementation with chitosan in adolescents with overweight or obesity: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial
Abstract
Overweight and obesity have been associated with an altered intestinal microbiome. Recent investigations have demonstrated that fiber supplementation, including chitosan, can exert beneficial and protective effects on the composition of gut microbiota in humans diagnosed with overweight/obesity. However, there is still a great deal of heated debate regarding the impact of chitosan supplementation in overweight and obese adolescents. Therefore, the aim of this study is to clarify the effects of chitosan administration on the composition of the gut microbiome in overweight and obese adolescents. Sixty-four overweight and obese adolescents were subjected to supplementation with 3 g of chitosan for 12 weeks. Anthropometric indices and physical activity were measured at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. After DNA extraction and purification, the quantity of bacteria in the patients’ stool samples was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The RCT was registered on the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (www.irct.ir) website (IRCT20091114002709 N57; registration date: 2021 - 06 - 20). Individuals who received chitosan supplementation experienced a significant decrease in the BMI z-score (P < 0.001). Administration of chitosan led to notable significant decrease in the Firmicutes (P < 0.001) populations and the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (P < 0.001) as well as a notable increase in the Bacteroidetes (P = 0.008) and Akkermansia (P <…
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.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Bile Acid 7α-Dehydroxylating Gut Bacteria Secrete Antibiotics that Inhibit Clostridium difficile: Role of Secondary Bile Acids
- Ketogenic diet alleviates colitis by reduction of colonic group 3 innate lymphoid cells through altering gut microbiome
- Altered gut microbiome composition and function are associated with gut barrier dysfunction in healthy relatives of patients with Crohn's disease
- Diet, obesity, and the gut microbiome as determinants modulating metabolic outcomes in a non-human primate model
- Immune Impairment Associated with Vitamin A Deficiency: Insights from Clinical Studies and Animal Model Research
- Glyphosate-based herbicides influence antioxidants, reproductive hormones and gut microbiome but not reproduction: A long-term experiment in an avian model
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.