Probiotic co-supplementation with absorbent smectite for pancreatic beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes: a secondary-data analysis of a randomized double-blind controlled trials

Savytska M, Kyriienko D, Zaychenko G, Ostapchenko D, Falalyeyeva T, and Kobyliak N. (2024) Probiotic co-supplementation with absorbent smectite for pancreatic beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes: a secondary-data analysis of a randomized double-blind controlled trials. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 15:1276642. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1276642

Introduction: There is growing evidence from animal and clinical studies suggesting probiotics can positively affect type 2 diabetes (T2D). In a previous randomized clinical study, we found that administering a live multistrain probiotic
and absorbent smectite once a day for eight weeks to patients with T2D could reduce chronic systemic inflammatory state, insulin resistance, waist circumference and improve the glycemic profile. However, there is a lack of evidence supporting the efficacy of probiotic co-supplementation with absorbent smectite on pancreatic b-cell function in T2D.
Aim: This secondary analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of an alive multistrain probiotic co-supplementation with absorbent smectite vs placebo on b-cell function in T2D patients.
Material and methods: We performed a secondary analysis on a previously published randomized controlled trial (NCT04293731, NCT03614039) involving 46 patients with T2D. The main inclusion criteria were the presence of b-cell
dysfunction (%B<60%) and insulin therapy alone or combined with oral antidiabetic drugs. The primary outcome was assessing b-cell function as change Cpeptide and %B.
Results: We observed only a tendency for improving b-cell function (44.22 ± 12.80 vs 55.69 ± 25.75; р=0.094). The effectiveness of the therapy probioticsmectite group was confirmed by fasting glycemia decreased by 14% (p=0.019),
HbA1c – 5% (p=0.007), HOMA-2 – 17% (p=0.003) and increase of insulin sensitivity by 23% (p=0.005). Analysis of the cytokine profile showed that statistical differences after treatment were in the concentration of both proinflammatory cytokines: IL-1b (22.83 ± 9.04 vs 19.03 ± 5.57; p=0.045) and TNF-a (31.25 ± 11.32 vs 26.23 ± 10.13; p=0.041).
Conclusion: Adding a live multistrain probiotic and absorbent smectite supplement slightly improved b-cell function and reduced glycemic-related parameters in patients with T2D. This suggests that adjusting the gut microbiota could be a promising treatment for diabetes and warrants further investigation through more extensive studies.