The effects of synbiotic supplementation on oxidative stress markers, mental status, and quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trial

Researches show that the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is influenced by oxidative stress. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effect of 12 weeks of synbiotic supplementation on total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), glutathione (GSH), Malondialdehyde (MDA), Parkinson's disease quality of life (PDQ-39) and mental and fatigue status in PD patients. Synbiotic supplementation increased TAC (65.923 ± 208.347 nmol equivalent of Trolox/ml vs 5.642 ± 207.611 nmol equivalent of Trolox/ml, p = 0.023) and reduced MDA (−0.907 ± 2.154 nmol/ml vs +0.122 ± 2.518 nmol/ml, p < 0.001), and OSI (−0.187 ± 0.558 vs +0.017 ± 0.526, p = 0.001) compared with the control group. Depression decreased in the synbiotic compared with the control group. Well-being and cognitive impairment domains of PDQ-39 significantly improved while activities of daily living and PDQ-39 summary index marginally improved in the synbiotic compared with the control group. Synbiotic supplementation can be considered a complementary treatment for PD patients. In addition, further research is needed to replicate our findings.