Probiotic supplementation improves well-being and anxiety in healthy women: An exploratory, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

The gut microbiota plays an important role in the maintenance of health and well-being throughout the life course but little is known about the impact of these changes on the balance of the microbiota and the well-being of women during their midlife transitional phase. In this exploratory, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, women (45 to 65 years old) received either a daily dose of probiotics or placebo for 4-months. Measurements of overall well-being included anxiety, depression, quality of life and sleep quality, gastrointestinal discomfort and changes to the fecal microbiota composition(ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06507111). The women in the probiotic group showed a 40% reduction in anxiety, an 18.5% improvement in quality of life and indications of improved sleep, resulting in a significant 17.5% improvement in overall well-being compared to those in the placebo. Incidence rates of indigestion and stomach pains were reduced and Blautia sp. KLE 1732 was less abundant in the probotic group at the end of the study. Daily probiotic supplementation may support the well-being of women in their 40s − 60s.