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Effect of synbiotic supplementation in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis: a randomized controlled clinical trial

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 72, pages 736–743 (2018)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by excessive activation of immune processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of synbiotic supplementation on the inflammatory response in children/adolescents with CF.

Subjects/methods

A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical-trial was conducted with control group (CG, n = 17), placebo-CF-group (PCFG, n = 19), synbiotic CF-group (SCFG, n = 22), PCFG negative (n = 8) and positive (n = 11) bacteriology, and SCFG negative (n = 12) and positive (n = 10) bacteriology. Markers of lung function (FEV1), nutritional status [body mass index-for age (BMI/A), height-for-age (H/A), weight-for-age (W/A), upper-arm fat area (UFA), upper-arm muscle area (UMA), body fat (%BF)], and inflammation [interleukin (IL)-12, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-10, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8, myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide metabolites (NOx)] were evaluated before and after 90-day of supplementation with a synbiotic.

Results

No significance difference was found between the baseline and end evaluations of FEV1 and nutricional status markers. A significant interaction (time vs. group) was found for IL-12 (p = 0.010) and myeloperoxidase (p = 0.036) between PCFG and SCFG, however, the difference was not maintained after assessing the groups individually. NOx diminished significantly after supplementation in the SCFG (p = 0.030). In the SCFG with positive bacteriology, reductions were found in IL-6 (p = 0.033) and IL-8 (p = 0.009) after supplementation.

Conclusions

Synbiotic supplementation shown promise at diminishing the pro-inflammatory markers IL-6, IL-8 in the SCFG with positive bacteriology and NOx in the SCFG in children/adolescents with CF.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the CNPq for their financial support and scholarships. Program of UNIEDU-Santa Catarina and the CAPES for the scholarships. The Farmoquímica for the donation of the synbiotic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil

    Maiara Brusco de Freitas & Camila Tomio

  2. Department of Nutrition, Graduate Program in Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil

    Emilia Addison Machado Moreira & Yara Maria Franco Moreno

  3. Graduate Program in Pharmacy, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil

    Diane de Lima Oliveira & Julia Salvan da Rosa

  4. Joana de Gusmão Children´s Hospital, Florianópolis, Brazil

    Eliana Barbosa & Norberto Ludwig Neto

  5. Department of Translational Medical Science, section of Pediatrics, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Vittoria Buccigrossi & Alfredo Guarino

  6. Department of Clinical Analysis, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil

    Tânia Silvia Fröde

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  1. Maiara Brusco de Freitas
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Correspondence to Emilia Addison Machado Moreira.

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de Freitas, M.B., Moreira, E.A.M., Oliveira, D.d.L. et al. Effect of synbiotic supplementation in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Eur J Clin Nutr 72, 736–743 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-017-0043-4

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