Prebiotic/probiotic supplementation resulted in reduced visceral fat and mRNA expression associated with adipose tissue inflammation, systemic inflammation, and chronic disease risk

Brian K. McFarlin, Elizabeth A. Tanner, David W. Hill, Jakob L. Vingren

Prebiotic/probiotic supplementation represents a viable option for addressing elevated systemic inflammation and chronic disease risk in overweight individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine if 90 days of prebiotic/probiotic supplementation could alter mRNA responsible for inflammation and chronic disease risk in weight-stable overweight adults. Nanostring mRNA analysis (574 plex) was used to survey targets associated with adipose tissue inflammation, systemic inflammation, and chronic disease risk. All protocols were approved by the University IRB, and participants gave written informed consent. Participants were randomly assigned to either placebo (N = 7; rice flour) or combined (N = 8) prebiotic (PreticX® Xylooligosaccharide; 0.8 g/day; ADIP) and probiotic (MegaDuo® Bacillus subtilis HU58 and Bacillus coagulans SC-208; billion CFU/day) supplementation. Participants were diverse population of healthy individuals with the exception of excess body weight. Measurements were made at baseline, 30, 60, and 90 days. Whole-body DXA scans (GE iDXA®; body composition) and blood 574-plex mRNA analysis (Nanostring®) were used to generate primary outcomes. Significance was set to p < 0.05 and adjusted for multiple comparisons where necessary. Compared to placebo, prebiotic/probiotic supplementation was associated with a 35% reduction in visceral adipose tissue (VAT; p = 0.002) but no change in body weight or overall percent body fat. Prebiotic/probiotic supplementation resulted in significant (p < 0.05), differential expression of 15 mRNA associated with adipose tissue inflammation (GATA3, TNFAIP6, ST2, CMKLR1, and CD9), systemic inflammation (LTF, SOCS1, and SERPING1), and/or chronic disease risk (ARG1, IL-18, CCL4, CEACAM6, ATM, CD80, and LAMP3). We also found 6 additional mRNA that had no obvious relationship to three previous biological functions (CSF1, SRC, ICAM4CD24, CD274, and CLEC6A). The key findings support that 90-day prebiotic/probiotic supplementation may be associated with reduced adipose tissue inflammation, reduced systemic inflammation, and reduced chronic disease risk. Combined with the unexpected finding of reduced VAT, this intervention may have resulted in improved overall health and reduced chronic disease risk.