Clinical and Metabolic Reaction to Probiotic Supplement in Children Suffering Attention‑Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized, Double‑Blind, Placebo‑Controlled Experiment

This paper aimed at assessing the influence that probiotic supplement had on mental health and metabolic conditions of children suffering attention‑deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

A number of 34 children with ADHD were selected randomly. Participants were randomly allocated into a group receiving 8 × 109 CFU/g probiotic supplements(n = 17) and a group receiving placebo (n = 17) during an 8‑week time period. Clinical symptoms were recorded applying the rating scale of ADHD (ADHD‑RS), Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM‑A) both at onset of the study and after the 8‑week interval. Moreover, samples of blood were also taken at the beginning and after the 8‑week intervalso that the metabolic information could be evaluated.

The probiotic supplementation could bring about a considerable decrease in totalADHD‑RS (β −3.31; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −5.60, −1.02; P = 0.006) and HAM‑A (β −1.91 [0.18]; 95% CI, −3.41, −0.41; P = 0.01) than that of the placebo. In addition, probiotic supplementation brought about a considerable decrease in high sensitivity C‑reactive protein (hs‑CRP) of serum (β −2.05 mg/L; 95% CI, −3.57, −0.52; P = 0.01) as well as a substantial rise in plasma overall antioxidant volume (TAC) (β 66.26 mmol/L; 95% CI, 36.83, 95.68; P < 0.001) than that of the placebo. No meaningful effects were observed on CDI and other metabolic features after the intake of probiotic supplements.

Taking probiotic by children suffering ADHD could affect ADHD‑RS, HAM‑A, hs‑CRP of serum, and TAC levels in plasma, while it did not show any effects on CDI and other metabolic profiles.