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Mental health and health-related quality of life response to curcumin-probiotic drink powder co-supplementation in adults with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome: a four-arm randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2025

Mohammad Ali Mohsenpour Open the ORCID record for Mohammad Ali Mohsenpour [Opens in a new window] ,
Farzaneh Mohammadi ,
Zahra Sohrabi ,
Mehrdad Niakousari ,
Marjan Jeddi  and
Mohammad Hassan Eftekhari Open the ORCID record for Mohammad Hassan Eftekhari [Opens in a new window]
Mohammad Ali Mohsenpour
Affiliation:
Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Farzaneh Mohammadi
Affiliation:
Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Zahra Sohrabi
Affiliation:
Nutrition Research Center, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Mehrdad Niakousari
Affiliation:
Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
Marjan Jeddi
Affiliation:
Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Mohammad Hassan Eftekhari*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Research Center for Health Sciences, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
*
Corresponding author: Mohammad Hassan Eftekhari; Email: eftekharim@sums.ac.ir
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Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with deteriorated mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Curcumin and probiotics improved MetS, mental health and HRQOL. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of curcumin-probiotic (CurPro) co-supplementation in the form of drink powder on mental health and HRQOL in adults with overweight/obesity and MetS. A four-arm, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial with factorial design was conducted for adults with overweight/obesity and MetS (n 128). Participants were randomly allocated into four groups to receive one drink powder sachet containing 1 g curcumin, 109 colony-forming unit (CFU) probiotic (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains), CurPro (1 g curcumin and 109 CFU probiotic) or placebo along with a low-calorie diet. Participants were assessed for dietary intake, physical activity, mental health and HRQOL before and after the study. After 8 weeks of intervention, 104 participants finished the study. The CurPro intervention reduced stress (P = 0·001) and anxiety (P = 0·019) and improved general health (P = 0·024) and overall HRQOL (P = 0·011) scores of participants in comparison with the Placebo group. Results were NS for depression and HRQOL subdomains such as physical functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, bodily pain, vitality, social functioning and role limitations due to emotional problems. Curcumin-probiotics co-supplementation could improve the mental health and HRQOL of adults with overweight/obesity and MetS. Further investigations in various populations or with different dosages or durations are recommended.

Keywords

CurcuminProbioticMetabolic syndromeOverweightObesityMental healthQuality of life

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 133 , Issue 10 , 28 May 2025 , pp. 1320 - 1330
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

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