Impact of a short‑term synbiotic supplementation on metabolic syndrome and systemic inflammation in elderly patients: a randomized placebo‑controlled clinical trial

An increasing body of evidence indicates that dysbiosis (defined as microbial imbalance) of the gut is implicated not only in the pathogenesis of intestinal disorders, but also in a number of extra-intestinal diseases including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) [1–3], which worsen patients’ quality of life and have a significant economic impact on public health expenditure [4]. In the general population, components of MetS—including obesity, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance and hypertension—are associated with a twofold increase in the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular disease [5]. Moreover, in the elderly, MetS leads to a greater risk of cardiovascular (CV) and all-cause mortality (by 24 and 23%, respectively), accordingly with the findings of a meta-analysis including 57,202 subjects [6].