Soluble fibre supplementation with and without a probiotic in adults with asthma: A 7-day randomised, double blind, three way cross-over trial

Study answer

What this study found

Overall, 7 days of soluble fiber did not change plasma short-chain fatty acids, and adding a probiotic did not provide extra clinical benefit. Inulin showed within-group improvements in asthma control and airway inflammation, with ACQ6 decreasing by 0.35 (p = 0.006), sputum eosinophils decreasing by 1.0 (p = 0.006), and sputum HDAC9 expression decreasing by 0.49 (p = 0.008), but between-group effects versus placebo were generally not significant. Total plasma SCFA change remained nonsignificant for inulin+probiotic versus placebo (18.7, 95% CI -14.5 to 51.9; p = 0.325), and lung function and…

Study & population

Randomized, double-blind, 3-way cross-over trial in 17 adults with doctor-diagnosed stable asthma in Newcastle, Australia.

Intervention

This 3-way crossover trial tested oral inulin 6 g twice daily for 7 days per period, with a matching placebo capsule in the inulin-only arm.

Key limitation

The trial was very small, with only 17 randomized participants and 3 withdrawals, and it was short at 7 days per treatment period.

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Original abstract