Have you ever been recommended a biotic supplement by your doctor? Biotic supplements can be living or dead microorganisms or substrates (chemical species observed in a chemical reaction) that are utilized by microorganisms. Biotic supplements come in four different forms: probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, and synbiotics.

While most biotic supplements are popular for digestive health, researchers believe biotic supplementation favorably influences circulating markers of oxidant stress inflammation and some uremic toxins in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Learn what researchers found after analyzing 23 different studies on biotic supplement use in CKD patients.*

What They Did

Jing Liu, MD, and colleagues searched for studies assessing biotic supplement use in patients with CKD, stage 3 to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The primary goals were to find benefits of treating CKD patients and to observe: 

• Changes in renal function
• Markers of inflammation or oxidative stress
• Changes in levels of uremic toxins 
• Shifts in lipid metabolism

What They Found

After analyzing 23 eligible studies and a total of 842 patients, researchers discovered:

• Biotics did not change kidney function, which was measured using the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculation. 
• Prebiotics improved serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), which are commonly affected by kidney disease.
• Biotics improved some inflammatory markers and uremic toxins but not all of them.

What it Means

While the meta-analysis provided interesting results, it does not give a conclusion on the benefits of biotic supplementation in CKD patients. The small sample sizes and short duration of follow-up periods were hindrances to the study. 

Liu states, “Studies of longer periods and with larger scales are advocated to further understand the relationship between biotics and renal disease.” This meta-analysis supports the need for further clinical trials in the use of biotic supplementation in CKD patients. 

*Keenan, J. S. (2021, November 1). Administration of biotics can benefit patients with CKD. Nephrology News and Issues. https://www.healio.com/news/nephrology/20211101/administration-of-biotics-can-benefit-patients-with-ckd