Effect of Probiotics on Blood Pressure
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials
Saman Khalesi, Jing Sun, Nicholas Buys, Rohan Jayasinghe
Hypertension 114.03469 Published online before print July 21, 2014
Abstract
Previous human clinical trials have shown that probiotic consumption may improve blood pressure (B-P) control. The aim of the present systematic review was to clarify the effects of probiotics on B-P using a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library (Central), Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and Clinicaltrial.gov databases were searched until January 2014 to identify eligible articles. Meta-analysis using a random-effects model was chosen to analyze the impact of combined trials. Nine trials were included. Probiotic consumption significantly changed systolic B-P by −3.56 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, −6.46 to −0.66) and diastolic B-P by −2.38 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, −2.38 to −0.93) compared with control groups. A greater reduction was found with multiple as compared with single species of probiotics, for both systolic and diastolic B-P. Subgroup analysis of trials with baseline B-P ≥130/85 mm Hg compared with <130/85 mm Hg found a more significant improvement in diastolic B-P. Duration of intervention <8 weeks did not result in a significant reduction in systolic or diastolic B-P. Furthermore, subgroup analysis of trials with daily dose of probiotics <1011 colony-forming units did not result in a significant meta-analysis effect. The present meta-analysis suggests that consuming probiotics may improve B-P by a modest degree, with a potentially greater effect when baseline B-P is elevated, multiple species of probiotics are consumed, the duration of intervention is ≥8 weeks, or daily consumption dose is ≥1011 colony-forming units.
