Indicators of improved emotion behavior in 6-14-year-old children following a 4-week placebo controlled prebiotic supplement intervention at home with a parent.

IF 4.4 2区医学 Q1 NUTRITION & DIETETICS

Nutrition Journal Pub Date : 2025-03-01 DOI:10.1186/s12937-025-01098-5

Nicola Johnstone, Kathrin Cohen Kadosh

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: In this double-blind placebo-controlled randomised intervention we investigated the potential benefits of a prebiotic supplement on children's well-being in a home setting. The primary aim was to determine if this supplement could effectively reduce anxiety, improve mood, and enhance cognitive function, similar to findings in young adults.

Methods: Fifty-three healthy children, aged 6 to 14, participated in an 8-week trial. The trial consisted of three testing time points; day zero marked the baseline measurement (T1) followed by a 28-day supplement intervention period during which they consumed 5.5 g of the prebiotic galactooligosaccharides (GOS) daily under parental guidance. Endline measures (T2) were conducted on the last day of supplement consumption, with a final follow-up testing session (T3) on day 56. Primary outcomes were trait anxiety using a questionnaire and emotional behavior in a dot-probe task on responses to positive and negative images. Secondary outcomes encompassed depression levels, cognitive function tests, and dietary intake recorded in a 4-day food diary. Additionally, we explored whether parents' emotional behavior had an impact on children's responses.

Results: While our statistical analysis did not reveal significant effects of GOS, there were noteworthy trends. Trait anxiety levels decreased over time in both groups, with a more pronounced decrease in the GOS group (after intervention, p =.090; after follow-up, p =.031). The GOS group exhibited reduced negative emotional responses compared to the placebo group (p =.105), and post-trial depression levels decreased in the GOS group over time (p =.015). Although parental emotional responses correlated with various emotional outcomes in children, they did not influence the intervention effects.

Conclusions: These findings suggest positive trends in line with our hypotheses, however further investigation with greater statistical power would be beneficial.

Trial registration: Retrospectively registered on https://clinicaltrials.gov/ [NCT06258135] on February 6, 2024.

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6-14岁儿童在家中与父母一起接受4周安慰剂控制的益生元补充剂干预后情绪行为指标的改善

背景：在这项双盲安慰剂对照随机干预中，我们调查了益生元补充剂在家庭环境中对儿童健康的潜在益处。主要目的是确定这种补充剂是否能有效地减少焦虑，改善情绪，增强认知功能，类似于年轻人的研究结果。方法：53名6 ~ 14岁的健康儿童参加了为期8周的试验。试验包括三个测试时间点；第0天是基线测量（T1），随后是28天的补充干预期，在此期间，他们在父母的指导下每天摄入5.5 g低聚半乳糖（GOS）。在服用补充剂的最后一天进行终点测量（T2），在第56天进行最后一次随访测试（T3）。主要结果为特质焦虑（问卷）和情绪行为（对正面和负面图像的点探测任务）。次要结果包括抑郁水平、认知功能测试和记录在4天食物日记中的饮食摄入量。此外，我们还探讨了父母的情绪行为是否对儿童的反应有影响。结果：虽然我们的统计分析没有显示GOS的显著效果，但有值得注意的趋势。两组的特质焦虑水平均随时间推移而下降，GOS组下降更为明显(干预后，p = 0.090；随访后，p = 0.031)。与安慰剂组相比，GOS组表现出更少的负面情绪反应（p = 0.105），并且随着时间的推移，GOS组的试验后抑郁水平下降（p = 0.015）。虽然父母的情绪反应与儿童的各种情绪结果相关，但它们不影响干预效果。结论：这些发现表明积极的趋势符合我们的假设，但进一步的调查更大的统计能力将是有益的。试验注册：于2024年2月6日在https://clinicaltrials.gov/ [NCT06258135]上回顾性注册。

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来源期刊

Nutrition Journal NUTRITION & DIETETICS-

CiteScore

9.80

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Nutrition Journal publishes surveillance, epidemiologic, and intervention research that sheds light on i) influences (e.g., familial, environmental) on eating patterns; ii) associations between eating patterns and health, and iii) strategies to improve eating patterns among populations. The journal also welcomes manuscripts reporting on the psychometric properties (e.g., validity, reliability) and feasibility of methods (e.g., for assessing dietary intake) for human nutrition research. In addition, study protocols for controlled trials and cohort studies, with an emphasis on methods for assessing dietary exposures and outcomes as well as intervention components, will be considered. Manuscripts that consider eating patterns holistically, as opposed to solely reductionist approaches that focus on specific dietary components in isolation, are encouraged. Also encouraged are papers that take a holistic or systems perspective in attempting to understand possible compensatory and differential effects of nutrition interventions. The journal does not consider animal studies. In addition to the influence of eating patterns for human health, we also invite research providing insights into the environmental sustainability of dietary practices. Again, a holistic perspective is encouraged, for example, through the consideration of how eating patterns might maximize both human and planetary health.