Gut Modulators Alter BDNF/Cortisol Axis in Severe Obesity: Additional Secondary Outcomes from a Triple-Blind Randomized Trial.

Overview

1. Post-Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Center of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis 88040-535, SC, Brazil; (B.B.P.M.); (S.I.K.)
2. Laboratory of Neurobiology of Pain and Inflammation, Department of Physiological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis 88040-535, SC, Brazil
3. Post-Graduate Program in Nutrition, Research Group on Immunonutrition and Metabolism, Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis 88040-535, SC, Brazil
4. Faculty of Health Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados 79804-970, MS, Brazil

Abstract

The role of the gut–brain axis is crucial in maintaining homeostasis and regulating neural, hormonal, and immunological activity. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of prebiotics or synbiotics on serum markers related to emotional disorders in individuals with morbid obesity in a triple-blind, randomized trial. The sample consisted of 22 subjects (16 women and 6 men) with a mean age of 41.8 ± 8.5 years and a mean BMI of 47.7 ± 6.8 kg/m2. Serum BDNF concentrations decreased significantly after 30 days of prebiotic supplementation (p = 0.017). Serum cortisol concentrations increased in all groups between the evaluated time points, with the increase being statistically significant in the synbiotic-supplemented group (p = 0.028). Serum TNF-α concentrations increased significantly after 30 days of prebiotic supplementation when compared to the group’s baseline (p = 0.035); however, this variation did not produce a significant difference between the groups evaluated after 30 days of supplementation. The results suggest that a chronic, low-grade inflammatory state may be related to the neuroendocrine changes present in emotional disorders, but the absence of significant results in the primary outcomes is possibly due to severe underpowering. Findings from additional secondary outcomes are hypothesis-generating only, requiring confirmation in adequately powered trials.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Data

Datasets cited

• osf:bh6ud, at OSF; found in “Data Availability Statement”

Data Availability Statement

The original data presented in the study are openly available in OSF as a public project ID: Bh6ud, available at: https://osf.io/bh6ud/overview, accessed on 22 April 2026.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Version 2, 28 September 2026

• Funding: added Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico; Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Version 1, 28 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 6 authors, 5 keywords, 53 references.

Cite

This paper

Borges, D. d. S., Fernandes, R., Martins, B. B. P., Kraus, S. I., Trindade, E. B. S. d. M., & Santos, A. R. S. (2026). Gut Modulators Alter BDNF/Cortisol Axis in Severe Obesity: Additional Secondary Outcomes from a Triple-Blind Randomized Trial. Life (Basel, Switzerland), 16(6), 924. https://doi.org/10.3390/life16060924

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