Abstract:
Background/Objectives: The microbiota plays a vital role in the two-way communication between the gastrointestinal tract and numerous neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. Besides, the microbiota modulation through the use of psychobiotics (prebiotics and probiotics with nutraceutical action) is related to the improvement of the physical and psychopathological health. The objective to this study was to test the efficacy of prebiotic/probiotic dietary modulation in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, attending to the nutritional and cardio-metabolic impact.
Methods: Two-arms, double-blind, randomized in balanced blocks clinical trial of 6 months of intervention, will be developed in a group of 50 individuals. The control group will receive conventional dietary advice individually from specialized mental health nurses. In the intervention group, an individual dietetic-nutritional education program with high prebiotic and probiotic content (dairy and fermented foods, green leafy vegetables, high-fiber fruit, whole grains, etc.) will be developed by these nurses. Data will be collected on the psychopathological state, and blood test (at the beginning, at 3 and 6 months). The estima...