Impact of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum UBLP-40 intervention on iron status indicators in iron-deficient women of reproductive age: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial

Introduction Iron deficiency remains highly prevalent among women of reproductive age due to increased physiological demands, inadequate dietary intake, and poor absorption. Conventional iron supplementation has shown limited success in addressing this issue. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum UBLP-40 (Lp40) on iron status indicators in iron-deficient women of reproductive age. Methods In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 152 iron-deficient women were randomized to receive either a probiotic-iron-ascorbic acid combination (Lp40-Fe-AA, n = 51), iron-ascorbic acid (Fe-AA, n = 50), or probiotic-iron (Lp40-Fe, n = 51) supplement in capsule form once daily, 1 hour before a meal for 12 weeks. Serum ferritin and other iron markers were measured at baseline, week 6, and week 12. Data were analyzed using a generalized linear mixed-effects model. Results A significant time-by-group interaction was found for inflammation-adjusted ferritin levels ( p = 0.048). In post-hoc analysis, the Lp40-Fe-AA group showed significant improvement in serum ferritin compared to the Fe-AA group (10.33 ng/mL, 95% CI: 7.09–13.57 vs. 4.80 ng/mL, 95% CI: 1.93–7.66; p = 0.014) at 12 weeks. Ferritin levels did not show any significant difference when other groups were compared (Lp40-Fe-AA vs. Lp40-Fe, p = 0.485 and Lp40-Fe vs. Fe-AA, p = 0.076). No significant time-by-group interaction was however observed for hemoglobin, hepcidin, transferrin saturation, and reticulocyte indices. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that L. plantarum UBLP-40 may offer a modest, but significant benefit when combined with iron and ascorbic acid. However, larger studies are required to validate these findings. Clinical Trial Registration https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/login.php , identifier CTRI/2021/03/032290.