Probiotic and selenium co-supplementation, and the effects on clinical, metabolic and genetic status in Alzheimer's disease: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial

Combined probiotic and selenium supplementation may improve Alzheimer's disease (AD) by correcting metabolic abnormalities, and attenuating inflammation and oxidative stress. This study aimed to determine the effects of probiotic and selenium co-supplementation on cognitive function and metabolic status among patients with AD. This randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial was conducted among 79 patients with AD. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either selenium (200 μg/day) plus probiotic containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium longum (2 × 109 CFU/day each) (n = 27), selenium (200 μg/day) (n = 26) or placebo (n = 26) for 12 weeks. Selenium supplementation, compared with the placebo, significantly reduced serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (P