Probiotic pasta consumption improves lipid metabolism and reduces gut permeability in overweight and obese adults: a randomized controlled trial

This study investigates the effects of a Shouchella clausii UBBC-07 spore-enriched pasta (ProbP) compared to a conventional pasta (ConP) on metabolic health and gut microbiome composition in overweight and obese individuals. A 4-weeks randomized controlled trial was conducted with 40 participants (17 females and 23 males, aged 35.4 ± 2.0 years, body mass index 27.6 ± 0.4 kg/m2), all habitual pasta consumers. Participants were randomly assigned to replace their habitual pasta with 80 g/day of either ProbP (n = 20) or ConP (n = 20) while maintaining their regular diet. Blood, urine, and fecal samples were collected at baseline and after 4 weeks to assess changes in clinical variables and gut microbiome composition. Consumption of ProbP led to an 11 % increase in serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and improved gut permeability compared to baseline. Gut microbiome analysis revealed that 50 % of ProbP consumers had increased S. clausii abundance in feces. These “responders” (R) exhibited distinct baseline microbiome traits and experienced reductions in body weight (−1 %, p = 0.03) and diastolic blood pressure (−6 %, p = 0.049) compared to Non-responders (NR) to S. clausii colonization. Additionally, R showed a 17 % reduction in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-to-HDL ratio (p = 0.02) compared to baseline, correlated with increased fecal levels of Akkermansia muciniphila (p = 0.054) and Harryflintia acetispora, alongside reductions in Ruminococcus torques and Dorea longicatena. In conclusion, ProbP consumption improved blood lipid metabolism, likely through enhanced gut barrier function. The baseline gut microbiome influenced probiotic colonization ability, providing greater health benefits for a subset of participants.