Effects of a Food Supplement with a Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) Extract on Gut Health and the Microbiome in Humans: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
Effects of a Food Supplement with a Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) Extract on Gut Health and the Microbiome in Humans: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial作者机构:BioTeSys GmbH Esslingen Germany Finzelberg GmbH & Co. KG Andernach Germany Dr. Ivo Pischel Consulting Rossbach Germany
出 版 物:《Food and Nutrition Sciences》 (食品与营养科学(英文))
年 卷 期:2022年第13卷第11期
页 面:931-949页
学科分类:1002[医学-临床医学] 100201[医学-内科学(含:心血管病、血液病、呼吸系病、消化系病、内分泌与代谢病、肾病、风湿病、传染病)] 10[医学]
主 题:Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) Extract Gut Health Gut Microbiome Abdominal Comfort Bowel Movement Mental Well-Being Quality of Life
摘 要:Background: Based on the scientific and traditional knowledge, benefits for gut and digestive health were expected from Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) extract (WThE) consumption, but no controlled human studies were performed yet to prove the proposed health benefits. Method: The aim of this human randomized, double-blind parallel arm pilot study was to explore the impact of aqueous Wild Thyme extract, a food supplement, in a healthy but overweight study collective (N = 40). In detail, the impact on digestion, gastrointestinal symptoms, gut microbiome, and quality of life by employing an essential oil-free WThE preparation or a matching placebo was investigated. Results: The study results indicate that WThE has the potential to improve gastrointestinal symptoms and increase stool frequency, thus an improved quality of life was observed. The stool microbiome of study collective was characterized by a high Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio. A decrease in the mean Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was seen in WThE group. Conclusion: The data support the potential applications of WThE as a food supplement with benefits on gut health.