Gasteel Plus benefits fibromyalgia patients by reducing inflammation and improving QoL
Spain: According to research published in nutrients, researchers have concluded that synbiotics benefit the inmunoneuroendocrine imbalance in women with FM, provoking a clear response of HPA axis activation and decreasing inflammatory profile.They also reported it to improve stress, anxiety, depression and life quality.
Fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are two medical conditions characterised by pain, fatigue, immune/inflammatory dysregulation, and mental health disorders.
Research suggests that the gut microbiota of FM and CFS patients differ from healthy individuals. These biomarkers like IL-8, cortisol and noradrenaline are also elevated.
In this present study, researchers analysed the possible effects of a synbiotic called Gasteel Plus® through the study of pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-8/IL-10) and neuroendocrine biomarkers (cortisol and DHEA) for evaluating interaction between inflammatory and stress responses mediated by the cytokine-HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis, as well as mental and physical health using body composition analysis, accelerometry and previously validated questionnaires.
The study summary is as follows:
- Women were diagnosed with FM with or without CFS diagnosis.
- The evaluation was done at baseline and after the intervention, lasting one month.
- Synbiotic intervention decreased stress, anxiety and depression. It also improved the quality of life.
- Synbiotic activated the HPA axis (physiological cortisol release) that can compensate for elevated IL-8 which is observed at baseline in Fibromyalgia patients.
- There were no detrimental changes pertaining to body composition, sleep parameters, activity/sedentarism-related parameters studied by accelerometry.
They said, “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation to help to a correct prescription of adjuvant treatments for improving life quality and allowing a better differential diagnosis between both syndromes.”
The limitation of the study is the lack of evaluation of the basal level of dysbiosis of FM patients and if the 30 days of intervention with the synbiotic is enough to change the microbiota.
Hinchado, M.D.; Quero-Calero, C.D.; Otero, E.; Gálvez, I.; Ortega, E. Synbiotic Supplementation Improves Quality of Life and Inmunoneuroendocrine Response in Patients with Fibromyalgia: Influence of Codiagnosis with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1591. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15071591
