Study summary · research use only
Effect of long-term oral glutathione supplementation on gut microbiome of type 2 diabetic individuals
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This human study examined long-term oral glutathione (GSH) supplementation on the gut microbiome of Indian individuals with diabetes in a randomized clinical trial, in which participants received 500 mg GSH orally once daily for 6 months. Stool samples were analyzed by 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing. As reported in the authors' earlier work, long-term GSH supplementation increased body GSH stores and stabilized decreased glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Gut microbiome analysis showed a significant decrease in phylum Proteobacteria abundance after 6 months, along with significant enrichment of the genera Megasphaera, Bacteroides, and Megamonas, and significant depletion of Escherichia/Shigella. The authors describe GSH supplementation alongside antidiabetic treatment as helping restore gut microbiome balance.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to check the effect of long-term oral glutathione (GSH) supplementation on alteration in gut microbiome of Indian diabetic individuals. Early morning fresh stool sample of diabetic individuals recruited in a randomized clinical trial wherein they were given 500 mg GSH supplementation orally once a day for a period of 6 months was collected and gut microbiome was analysed using high throughput 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing. Long-term GSH supplementation as reported in our earlier work showed significant increase in body stores of GSH and stabilized decreased glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Analysis of gut microbiome revealed that abundance of phylum Proteobacteria significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in individuals with GSH supplementation after 6 months compared to those without it. Beneficial dominant genera such as Megasphaera, Bacteroides, and Megamonas were found to be significantly enriched (P < 0.05), while pathogenic Escherichia/Shigella was found to be depleted (P < 0.05) after supplementation. Data clearly demonstrate that GSH supplementation along with antidiabetic treatment helps restore the gut microbiome by enriching beneficial bacteria of healthy gut and reducing significantly the load of pathogenic bacteria of diabetic gut.
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