The Effects Of Probiotics On Stress Among Healthy Adults From Umm Al-Qura University At Makkah

Umm Al-Qura University85 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to study the effects of probiotic supplementation on stress levels and bowel habits in healthy Saudi adults for both males and females. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does probiotic supplementation decrease stress levels? Does probiotic supplementation improve bowel habits? Researchers compared between the intervention group receiving probiotic supplements with high stress levels with a control group not receiving probiotics with high stress levels to see if probiotics decreases stress levels.

Participants were required to 1. Attend a visit to the nutrition clinic at Umm AL-Qura University to assess for eligibility. 2. Eligible participants were asked to sign a consent form and anthropometrics, stress, bowel habits, food records and knowledge on probiotics were collected 3. Participants were randomized based on lottery based method to an interventional or control group 4. Intervention group received 30 capsules of probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, 6x10\^9 cpu) to be taken once daily 5. After 30 days, all participants had to attend a second visit at the nutrition clinic at Umm Al-Qura University to assess stress levels, bowel habits and receive their incentives (discount voucher of restaurants).

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Stress Constipation

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 40 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Students at Umm Al-Qura University * Age ≥ 18 years * Healthy individuals * Both genders * Saudi nationality Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed with chronic illness or/and psychiatric condition * Consumption of medications or supplements in the previous 3 months * Pregnant and breastfeeding * Smoker

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Stress

Perceived stress scale (PSS) was used in both English and Arabic versionsndividual scores on the PSS can range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress. Scores ranging from 0-13 would be considered low stress. Scores ranging from 14-26 would be considered moderate stress. Scores ranging from 27-40 would be considered high perceived stress.

Time frame: Post intervention at 30 days

Bowel function

The questionnaire was developed to collect, comorbid illnesses, a prescription list, and specific questions related to bowel habits including fluid intake, usual diet, fecal matter consistency, frequency of defecation, and straining. The questionnaire also contained questions about laxative usage, previous surgeries, and lifestyle. The questionnaire was translated by an authorised translator and was based on a previous study.