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 <i>Shouchella clausii</i> 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 <i>S. clausii</i> 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 <i>S. clausii</i> 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 <i>Akkermansia muciniphila</i> (p = 0.054) and <i>Harryflintia acetispora</i>, alongside reductions in <i>Ruminococcus torques</i> and <i>Dorea longicatena</i>. 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.