Chocolate dairy dessert fortified with Akkermansia muciniphila modulates depression, Anxiety and Stress: a pilot clinical trial with Brazilian Students

This study evaluated changes in depression, anxiety, and stress scores following daily consumption of a chocolate dairy dessert containing Akkermansia muciniphila compared with a conventional dessert. A 2-week, double-blind, controlled and randomized trial included 24 students (aged 18-22, 12 males,12 females) regular consumer of dairy products. Participants consumed 200 g/day of either the probiotic dessert (Akkermansia muciniphila AKK11, 8 log CFU/g; Coama, Paraná, Brazil) or the conventional dessert without the probiotic. The 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was administered at baseline and after the intervention (0 and14 days, respectively), being the data analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Scores decreased in all three DASS-21 dimensions following consumption of the probiotic dairy dessert (p = 0.008, p = 0.02, p=0.01 for depression, stress and anxiety dimensions, respectively). Mean score reductions for the probiotic and conventional desserts, respectively, were 3.38 versus 1.42 for depression (p = 0.015), 4.16 versus 1.72 for anxiety (p = 0.02), and 3.21 versus 0.75 for stress (p = 0.01). Probiotic dairy dessert showed positive effects on depression, anxiety, and stress levels compared with conventional, which underscores the potential effects of Akkermansia muciniphila in modulating mood and stress.