The Effect of Synbiotic and Probiotic Supplementation on Mental Health Parameters in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial

Introduction: The purpose of this double-blind clinical trial, was to examine the effect of supplementation with the synbiotic and probiotic on the mental health, quality of life, and anemia in HD patients. Methods: Seventy-five HD patients were randomly assigned to receive the synbiotic (n = 23) as 15 g of prebiotics, 5 g of probiotic powder containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium lactis, and Bifidobacterium longum (2.7 × 107 CFU/g each); probiotics (n = 23) as 5 g probiotics similar to the synbiotic group with 15 g of maltodextrin as placebo; and placebo (n = 19) as 20 g of maltodextrin. Serum hemoglobin (Hb) and albumin (Alb) were measured. Beck depression and anxiety index (BDI/BAI) was used to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety. The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using the questionnaire SF-36. Results: From baseline to 12 weeks, synbiotic and probiotic supplementation resulted in a significant decrease in BDI and BAI score in comparison to the placebo (P