Can High-Strength Oral Probiotics Improve Immune Regulation and Preserve Beta Cells in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus?

A recent study investigated the mechanism of glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) following high-strength probiotics supplementation by evaluating immune-regulatory markers.

It randomized children with new-onset T1D on regular insulin therapy into probiotic or placebo groups and assessed induced T regulatory cells (i-Tregs) percentage, insulin autoantibodies (IAA), insulinoma associated 2 autoantibodies (IA2), glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GAD 65) and plasma interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels; alongwith changes in plasma C-peptide levels and glycemic control parameters.

The study found-

• A significant increase in the percentage of iTregs in the probiotic vs. the placebo group
• A significant decrease in the median glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels (7.55%) in the probiotic group. 
• Significantly higher median C-peptide levels in probiotics vs. placebo group. 
• Significantly high plasma IL-10 levels in the probiotic group after six months of treatment.

This study shows that high-strength probiotics improve the immunoregulatory milieu, preserving beta-cell function and improving glycemic control.

Lokesh MN, Kumar R, Jacob N., et al. Supplementation of High-Strength Oral Probiotics Improves Immune Regulation and Preserves Beta Cells among Children with New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomised, Double-Blind Placebo Control Trial. Indian J Pediatr. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-024-05074-5