Probiotic Ingestion, Obesity, and Metabolic-Related Disorders: Results from NHANES, 1999-2014

Abstract

Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been recognized as having key importance in obesity- and metabolic-related diseases. Although there is increasing evidence of the potential benefits induced by probiotics in metabolic disturbances, there is a lack of large cross-sectional studies to assess population-based prevalence of probiotic intake and metabolic diseases. Our aim was to evaluate the association of probiotic ingestion with obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. A cross-sectional study was designed using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2014. Probiotic ingestion was considered when a subject reported consumption of yogurt or a probiotic supplement during the 24-hour dietary recall or during the Dietary Supplement Use 30-Day questionnaire. We included 38,802 adults and 13.1% reported probiotic ingestion. The prevalence of obesity and hypertension was lower in the probiotic group (obesity-adjusted Odds Ratio (OR): 0.84, 95% CI 0.76-0.92, p < 0.001; hypertension-adjusted OR: 0.79, 95% CI 0.71-0.88, p < 0.001). Accordingly, even after analytic adjustments, body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower in the probiotic group, as were systolic and diastolic blood pressure and triglycerides; high-density lipoprotein (HDL) was significantly higher in the probiotic group for the adjusted model. In this large-scale study, ingestion of probiotic supplements or yogurt was associated with a lower prevalence of obesity and hypertension.

Keywords: intestinal microbiota; nutrients; probiotics.

Figure 1

Prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, according to probiotic exposure.

Figure 2

Odds ratio of disease in participants exposed to probiotics compared to those not exposed, according to the origin of probiotics (all probiotics, yogurt, or probiotic supplements). Logarithmic regression models adjusted for age, sex, race, income, education, alcohol intake, smoking status, physical activity, carbohydrates/kcal per day, protein/kcal per day, fiber/kcal per day, and polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acids ratio (model 2). Model 2 also includes BMI in all analyses except in the obesity analysis and includes sodium intake per day only in the hypertension analysis.