It has recently been observed that microorganisms in the gut can regulate brain processes through the gut microbiota-brain axis, affecting pain, depression, and sleep quality. Consequently, prebiotics and probiotics may potentially improve physical, psychological, and cognitive states in those with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) who have an altered microbiota balance. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to determine the effects of probiotic and prebiotic treatments on pain, sleep, quality of life, and psychological distress (depression and anxiety) in FMS, 53 female participants with FMS were randomised to receive either: 1) 4 × 10¹⁰ CFUs per day for the 18 patients in the probiotics group; 2) 10 g dose inulin per day for the 17 patients in the prebiotic group; or 3) a placebo for 8 weeks for the 18 patients in this group. The mean ages of the groups were similar and there was no significant difference between the groups. The impact of FMS on pain, sleep quality, quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were measured at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks post-intervention. Probiotic supplementation significantly decreased the Beck Depression Index (BDI), Beck Anxiety Index (BAI), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores compared to baseline, while prebiotic supplementation only significantly decreased PSQI scores. Moreover, participants who received probiotic treatment presented a significantly reduced Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score compared with those who received placebo treatment, after the interventions. Probiotic supplementation significantly improved sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and pain scores compared to those at baseline in FMS patients, while prebiotic supplementation significantly improved pain scores and sleep quality. The potential benefits of using probiotics for treatment management in FMS patients is supported by the results of the current study and might provide an important strategy to combat FMS-associated diseases.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and depression. The study was carried out with 134 female university students staying in dormitory. The data were collected using questionnaire form. The questionnaire contains socio-demographic information, physical activity, anthropometric measurements, depression scale, and the 3-day food intake record. The DII score was calculated based on the food intake record form. It was found that 56 of the participants did not have any depression symptoms. The participants‘ mean DII scores were 0.76 ± 0.59 and they were found to have a pro-inflammatory dietary pattern. The third-tertile depression score was 56.3 ± 8.6, which was statistically higher than the others (p < 0.05). Upon modeling, a significant association between high DII scores and increased odds of incidence DepS was observed (odds ratio (OR) = 2.90; 95% CI = 1.51–5.98). Finally there is a need to conduct cohort studies to identify DII scores of the individuals in our country, investigate the relationship between these scores and depression, and establish a cause and effect relationship.

On this review, we aimed to explain general information about sugary kefir, microbial diversity, production process and potential health effects. Although sugary kefir has been known for many years, it has not been studied much. Studies have shown that sugary kefir has a similar microbial diversity compared to traditional milk kefir and therefore may be an alternative source of probiotics. However, sugary kefir has been shown to contain probiotic properties such as adhesion to the mucosa by reaching the lumen of the mucosa, colonization of the pathogens to the mucosa. On this way, potential health effects such as antimicrobial activity, suppression of inflammation agents, reduction of oxidative stress, immunomodulation, anticancer, and anti-obesity have been demonstrated by clinical studies. However, studies on whether or not these effects are present on humans are very limited. Therefore, randomized double blind placebo controlled studies are needed to investigate potential health effects on humans.

Objectives: There is limited evidence about the inflammatory potential of diet and cardiometabolic risk in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the Children’s Dietary Inflammatory Index (C-DII) with cardiometabolic risk factors in Turkish adolescents from 10 to 17 years. Methods: Participants aged 10–17 years, who completed a 24-h dietary recall, from which C-DII scores were calculated, were include in this cross-sectional study. Lipid profile, glycemic parameters, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), liver enzymes, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and uric acid were analyzed in blood samples. Sociodemographic characteristics and sedentary behavior were assessed using a semi-structured questionnaire. We compared the distributions of anthropometric, biochemical, and blood pressure measurement levels associated with cardiometabolic risk factors by the median of C-DII with linear regression. Results: The mean sample C-DII was −0.16 ± 2.31 and ranged from −3.22 to +4.09. Higher median C-DII scores, indicating a more pro-inflammatory diet among children, were associated with higher blood pressure and body mass index (BMI). However, the C-DII was modestly directly associated with fasting insulin, fasting blood glucose, and waist circumference. The area under the receiver operating curve of C-DII in predicting hs-CRP was found to be quite high (0.864, 95% CI: 0.795–0.933). Conclusions: Consuming a pro-inflammatory diet in adolescence was associated with alterations in cardiometabolic risk factors, especially with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and BMI.