Jessy Deshane, PhD

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that affects millions in the U.S and worldwide. Obesity has emerged as a risk factor for severity of asthma. Recent studies have established that gut microbial signatures may predict risk for chronic lung diseases. This pilot study will evaluate if oral administration of over-the-counter probiotics may change respiratory microbial and metabolomic signatures to effect changes in proinflammatory biomarkers in asthmatics who are obese. The study will evaluate if obese asthmatics who take oral probiotics may see a change in insulin resistance and a reduction in asthma symptoms. Obese asthmatics with high insulin resistance will be recruited for the study and will be given oral probiotics or placebo controls for twelve weeks. Asthma biomarkers, microbial and metabolomic signatures, obesity indicators and insulin resistance will be measured at baseline and at the end of the study and compared between the two groups. The primary endpoints will be leptin levels, proinflammatory cytokines and microbiome or metabolome signatures.  

Update:

Our study is evaluating whether people who are obese and have asthma along with high insulin resistance benefit from oral probiotics administration. Insulin resistance is when cells in the muscles, fat and liver don’t respond well to insulin. We are measuring changes in obesity hormones, proportions of beneficial and harmful microbes and their products in the gut and upper airways, immune cells in the blood and clinical measures of asthma in obese asthmatics following administration of probiotics or placebo controls. Twenty asthmatic patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 (considered obese) and high insulin resistance will be randomly divided into two groups and 10 patients each will receive probiotics or placebo daily for 12 weeks. Following institutional approval, 19 eligible obese asthmatic patients with a BMI greater than 30, seen at the asthma clinic, have been screened by the clinical coordinator. Three participants with high insulin resistance have been randomized and enrolled in the study. An additional three screened participants have been scheduled to start the study.