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Probiotic Supplementation and Bone Health Parameters in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Khemayanto Hidayat1, Yan Zhu2, René Rizzoli3
1Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China. khemayanto@suda.edu.cn.
Summary
Probiotic supplements show modest benefits for bone health, significantly increasing lumbar spine and hip bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. Further research is needed to clarify effects on other bone markers.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bone Physiology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- The gut microbiota plays a role in bone health.
- The skeletal benefits of probiotic supplementation require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on probiotic supplementation and bone health.
- To assess the efficacy of probiotics in improving bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers.
Main Methods:
- Searched PubMed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases for relevant RCTs.
- Included studies reporting effects on BMD, C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX), or pro-collagen type 1 N-propeptide (P1NP).
- Utilized a random-effects model for meta-analysis to calculate pooled weighted mean differences and 95% confidence intervals.
Main Results:
- Probiotic supplementation significantly increased lumbar spine areal BMD (aBMD) and hip aBMD.
- No significant effects were observed on femoral neck aBMD, P1NP, or CTX.
- Moderate-to-high heterogeneity was noted, potentially due to variations in participants and interventions. Findings were consistent when analyses were restricted to postmenopausal women.
Conclusions:
- Probiotic supplementation offers modest, statistically significant improvements in lumbar spine BMD and, to a lesser extent, hip BMD in postmenopausal women.
- The evidence is based on available RCTs, highlighting the need for continued research in this area.
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