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Few treatment options are available for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, recent evidence suggests that modulation of the gut microbiome with probiotics may have a therapeutic role in NAFLD.
In the current parallel-arm, double-blind trial, investigators assessed the efficacy of VSL#3, a mixture of eight probiotic strains that has been studied in experimental models of NAFLD. Forty-eight obese (body-mass index >85th percentile) children with biopsy-proven NAFLD and abnormal liver tests were randomized to receive VSL#3 daily (1 packet if aged <10 years; 2 packets if aged ≥10 years) or placebo for 4 months. The main study outcome was the change in fatty liver severity by ultrasonography at 4 months.
At baseline, moderate and se…