Science shorts: Probiotics for cholesterol health, Anagenix's online clinical trial and more

Probiotics and heart health: Multi-strain supplementation significantly decreases total cholesterol - Meta-analysis ​

Supplementation of probiotics was found to significantly decrease total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LCL)​ in hypercholesterolemic patients, according to a recent systematic review and meta-analysis.

Researchers in China screened through 13 randomised controlled trials (RCT) assessing the effect of probiotic consumption on the lipid profiles of patients with high cholesterol.

High cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) which is the leading cause of death worldwide. In China, CVD account for 40% of deaths.

Online trial amid COVID-19: Anagenix to test boysenberry lung-health benefits on NZ sarcoidosis patients ​

New Zealand natural products firm Anagenix is to trial its lung-health boysenberry formula on sarcoidosis patients via an online mode in New Zealand.​

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many human clinical trials to be put on hold or postponed​.

In the case of the New Zealand firm, it was supposed to trial its boysenberry formula trademarked BerriQi in China this year.

Diabetes preventing duo? China RCT shows mulberry leaf, white kidney bean extract lowers post-meal glucose level ​

Mulberry leaf and white kidney bean extract mix could be a new solution for lowering post-meal glucose level,​ a new study has shown.

The RCT, conducted by Peking University and supported by the Key Projects of Beijing Science & Technology, is said to be the first to trial the effects of the ingredients on pre-diabetic individuals.

It showed that individuals who had taken the mixture had reduced glucose, insulin, and c-peptide levels, which are all interlinked.

Nicotinamide and glaucoma: Form of vitamin B3 increases energy supply in nerve cells - RCT​

Supplementation of nicotinamide (NAM) – a form of vitamin B3 – could act as an adjunctive treatment for glaucoma, a 24-week RCT from Australia has found.

The researchers at the Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Duke NUS-Medical School, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Karolinska Institutet, University of Adelaide, and Cambridge University, published the findings in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology.​

This is also the first time that the researchers found improvements in a glaucoma therapy that does not involve the lowering of pressure in the eye, research fellow Dr Flora Hui told NutraIngredients-Asia.​​

Recovery-associated bacteria: Research highlights potential benefits of Alistipes, Ruminococcus species

A five-year-long research has identified 21 recovery-associated bacteria (RABs)​ from the Alistipes, Ruminococcus, Parabacteroides species, as well as the more well-known Bifidobacterium species, as key in restoring microbial balance in the gut.

Metagenomes analysis have shown that these species have the ability to degrade complex carbohydrates well, in turn providing food sources such as short-chain fatty acids for other bacteria.

This process will initiate the recovery of the gut ecosystem disrupted by antibiotics use.