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NCT Number: NCT06765057

Effect of Probiotics "Psychobiotics" on Depression and Metabolic Syndrome in Saudi Arabia

The goal of this clinical trial is to assess the effect of commercial multi-strains psychobiotics supplementation as an ad-on therapy on depressive symptoms and metabolic syndrome components (HDL-C, FPG, TGs, WC, BP) in adult depressed patients with pre-metabolic syndrome and metabolic syndrome. The second goal is to explore the effect of commercial multi-strains psychobiotics supplementation on the anthropometric measurement (weight, body mass index (BMI)) in adult depressed patients with pre-metabolic syndrome and metabolic syndrome. The main questions they aim to answer are:

* Will commercial multi-strains psychobiotics supplementation help to ease depressive symptoms as an ad-on therapy in patients with pre-metabolic syndrome and metabolic syndrome? * Will commercial multi-strains psychobiotics supplementation improve anthropometric measurements and metabolic syndrome components (WC, FPG, BP, TGs, HDL-C) in depressed patients? Researchers will compare psychobiotics to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to see if psychobiotics work to improve depression and metabolic syndrome components.

Participants will:

* Be examined for depression, anxiety, and metabolic syndrome components (waist circumference, diabetes, blood pressure, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein). * Be asked to conduct laboratory tests to determine the inclusion and exclusion criteria. * Be given probiotics/ placebo to consume every day for 3 months (12 weeks). * Repeat the examination and laboratory tests to determine the results. * Be followed up weekly for adverse events and to insure their compliance with the study instructions. * Be followed up after 4 weeks as an end-visit and will conduct the examination and the laboratory blood tests.

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Key information

Conditions

Depression Anxiety Disorder

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2 / Phase 3

Primary location

King Saud University Medical City

Riyadh, Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Roaa A. Alkreadees, MS

CONTACT

[email protected]

966555527073

About this study

Recently, the United Nations (UN) announced depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression can increase the risk of suicide and death. Its prevalence increased globally since 2005 from 4.4% and reached 18.4% in 2015 accounting for about 322 million of the population. Based on the study of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) from 195 countries around the world including Saudi Arabia, depression incidence increased from 172.27 million to 258.16 million from 1990 to 2017 most of whom is from major depressive disorder (MDD).

In addition, according to the Saudi National Mental Health Survey in 2016, 34% of Saudis were having psychiatric disorders and 80% of those with severe situations did not attempt any health care. Moreover, the prevalence of MDD among Saudis was 0.6% and it was one of the top-rated mental health cases in Saudi Arabia. Not only that but also, a cross-sectional study showed that the incidence of depression increased even more among Saudis during the pandemic of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) to be 20.9%.

Depression is characterized by a persistent feeling of sadness, loss of interest, feeling of low self-esteem, loss of energy, decreased or increased appetite, trouble sleeping, and thoughts of suicide. Basically, depression is categorized into two main categories which are MDD and persistent depressive disorder (known as dysthymia). Depression can impair the quality of life and well-being. Unfortunately, it can also affect health negatively by causing comorbid diseases such as cancer, heart disease, inflammation, and neurological and metabolic disorders.

According to Al-Khatib et al (2022), one of the metabolic disorders associated with depression is metabolic syndrome (MetS). The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) defined the MetS as the occurrence of three or more symptoms of the following: central obesity with waist circumference (WC) for men ≥ 94 centimeters while for women ≥ 80 centimeters, increased fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥ 100 mg/dl, increased blood pressure (BP) to ≥ 130 /≥ 85 mmHg, increased triglycerides (TGs) to equal or above 150 mg/dl, reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) for men to < 40 mg/dl while for women < 50 mg/dl. Yin et al., 2013 defined the pre-metabolic syndrome (Pre-MetS) as the occurrence of at least two components of MetS that do not reach the diagnostic of MetS. As a matter of fact, depression can lead to MetS and vice versa. About 30% of individuals with depression have MetS; meanwhile, about 41% of individuals with depression and MetS also have high levels of inflammation. Individuals with inflammation tend to have obesity and MetS. Thus, in 2007, it was proposed that the onset of depression with comorbid MetS is called "MetS type II" in which a combination of neuronal, psychological, and metabolic disorder happens. Furthermore, Gawlik-Kotelnicka and Strzelecki mentioned in their recent review the term "metabolic depression" to depict the relationship between depression, obesity, and MetS.

Recently, it has been suggested that gut microbiota modulation by a combination of probiotics and anti-depressant is an effective treatment. Since the bidirectional relationship between brain and gut health was confirmed, the accumulated body of evidence revealed that mental health is impacted by what is called the gut-brain axis (GBA) in which the gut microbiome can affect brain health through special microorganisms known as psychobiotics. Psychobiotics are special types of probiotics; they are specified to positively influence neurotransmitters, endocrinal hormones, and anti-inflammatory cytokines. They are a supporting therapy as an add-on therapy for mood disorders and depression with little or no side effects. To our knowledge, there are no clinical trials conducting in Saudi Arabia to investigate the impact of probiotics efficiency on depressive symptoms, anthropometric measurement, and MetS components in adult patients which is the aim of this experimental study.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Major Depression Disorder (MDD) patients on antidepressants for at least 4 weeks or more.
  • MDD patients with pre-metabolic syndrome (at least 2 of the MetS components) and metabolic syndrome (at least 3 of the following components: central obesity with WC for men ≥ 94 centimeters while for women ≥ 80 centimeter, increased FPG ≥ 100 mg/dl, increased BP to ≥ 130 / ≥ 85 mmHg, increased TGs equal or above 150 mg / dl, increased HDL cholesterol for men to < 40 mg / dl while for women < 50 mg / dl) (IDF., 2006).
  • MDD patients with other comorbid diseases such as anxiety.

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients using any other supplements to improve mood.
  • Patients using pre/pro/symbiotics supplement or antibiotics during the last 3 weeks before the intervention.
  • Patients with chronic diseases (cardiac, renal, or hepatic diseases)
  • Patients with gastro intestinal diseases (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis).
  • Patients with infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS).
  • Cancer patients or those undergoing chemotherapy.
  • Patients with food allergies such as gluten intolerance or lactose intolerance.
  • Pregnant and breastfeeding women.
  • Patients with modified antidepressant dose during interventional period or receiving psychotherapy during the intervention.
  • Patients with thyroid disorder.
  • Patients following a diet to lose weight during the intervention.
  • Diabetic patients who are insulin-dependent.
  • patients receiving injections or medications to lose weight (Ozempic, Mounjaro …etc) either 3 weeks before or during the intervention.
  • Patients using plasma-lipid lowering drug for less than 1 month before the intervention.
  • Patients with substance abuse including alcohol addiction.

Treatment and study plan

Winclove's Ecologic® Barrier Probiotics

Dietary Supplement

The investigational product is a multispecies probiotic formulation consisting of 9 selected probiotic strains: the following bacterial strains: Bifidobacterium bifidum W23, Bifidobacterium lactis W52, Lactobacillus acidophilus W37, Lactobacillus brevis W63, Lactobacillus casei W56, Lactobacillus salivarius W24, Lactococcus lactis W19 and Lactococcus lactis W58.

Winclove's Ecologic® Barrier Probiotics Placebo

Dietary Supplement

The placebo is composed of the carrier of the probiotic product that are identical in physical appearance, it includes maize starch and maltodextrins but contains no bacteria.

Primary outcomes

  1. Psychological Assessment (depression1)

    Time frame: at baseline, after the end of the 12th week of the intervention, and after 4 weeks post-intervention follow-up (end visit).

    • Depression will be diagnosed clinically using the validated Arabic translated Patient Health Questionary 9 (PHQ-9) in Saudi population to assess the severity of depression as a self-report scale for patients in both groups. The minimum score is 0 while the maximum score is 27; the higher the score the more severe the depression is. Scores 0-4 means no depression; scores 5-9 means mild depression; scores 10-14 means moderate depression; score 15-19 means moderately severe, and 20-27 means severe depression.

  2. Psychological Assessment (depression2)

    Time frame: at baseline, after the end of the 12th week of the intervention, and after 4 weeks post-intervention follow-up (end visit).

    • Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) will be also used as a clinician-rated scale to evaluate the severity of depression symptoms. The most commonly used versions in are either a 17- or a 21-item scale, but this study uses the 21-item scale. The scoring of the severity of the depressive symptoms is based on 17 items. It is scored between 0 (not present) and 4 (severe) points using either a three-point or a five-point scale and summed up to obtain the total score. Scores 0-7 represent the absence or remission of depression; scores between 8-16 represent mild depression; scores between 17-23 represent moderate depression, and scores equal to 24 and above represent severe depression.

  3. Psychological Assessment (Anxiety)

    Time frame: at baseline, after the end of the 12th week of the intervention, and after 4 weeks post-intervention follow-up (end visit).

    • Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale will be added to assess anxiety. Each of the 7 items is scored from 0 to 3, the GAD-7 scale score ranges from 0 to 21; the higher the score the more severe the anxiety is. Scores 0-4 means no anxiety; scores 5-9 means mild anxiety; scores 10-14 means moderate anxiety; score 15-21 means severe anxiety.

  4. Anthropometric Measurements

    Time frame: at baseline, after the end of the 12th week of the intervention, and after 4 weeks post-intervention follow-up (end visit).

    Height and weight will be combined to calculate the body mass index (BMI). BMI will be measured through dividing individual's weight in kilograms by height in square meter. Lower than 18.5 means underweight; 18.5 to lower than or equal 25 means normal weight; 25.0 to lower than or equal 30 means overweight; 30.0 or above means obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2020).

  5. Metabolic Syndrome Components (Waist circumference)

    Time frame: at baseline, after the end of the 12th week of the intervention, and after 4 weeks post-intervention follow-up (end visit).

    Central obesity will be measured through waist circumference (WC) by placing non-stretchable meter around the waist above the bone of the hip equally; the tape should be tightened lightly without pressure on skin (Whitney & Rolfes, 2020). WC for men is ≥ 94 centimeters while for women ≥ 80 centimeters (Alberti, Zimmet, & Shaw, 2006).

  6. Metabolic Syndrome Components (Medical Assessments/ Laboratory Tests)

    Time frame: at baseline, after the end of the 12th week of the intervention, and after 4 weeks post-intervention follow-up (end visit).

    Blood samples will be collected out on venous blood after fasting for 12 h. Blood samples in each visit will be collected in 3 tubes and the value will be 3 ml in each tube.

    i. Fasting Plasma Glucose: pre-diabetic is more than 100 mg/dl to 125 mg/dl (Alberti, Zimmet, & Shaw, 2006).

    ii. Hemoglobin A1C (HgA1C): pre-diabetic HbA1c is between 5.7 - 6.5% (Alberti, Zimmet, & Shaw, 2006).

    iii. Triglycerides: more than 150 mg/dl (Alberti, Zimmet, & Shaw, 2006). iv. High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol: less than 40 mg/dl in men and less than 50 mg/dl in women (Alberti, Zimmet, & Shaw, 2006).

  7. Metabolic Syndrome Components (Medical Assessments/ Blood Pressure)

    Time frame: at baseline, after the end of the 12th week of the intervention, and after 4 weeks post-intervention follow-up (end visit).

    • Blood pressure for both groups will be measured three times sequentially at 1-min interval using the standardized method, the average between the three readings will be used as study variable (if more than 130 mmHg systolic BP/or more than 85 mmHg diastolic BP).

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Roaa A Alkreadees

CONTACT

[email protected]

00966555527073

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Roaa Ahmed Alkreadees

Other Gov

Registry information

Official study title

Effect of Probiotics "Psychobiotics" on Depression in Adults With Pre-Metabolic Syndrome and Metabolic Syndrome in Riyadh City

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 9, 2025
Registry last updated
Sep 22, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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