taking into account that the health of gut microbiota is associated with the immune functionality [13]. The primary outcome was the decrease of hsCRP (highsensitivity
C-reactive protein) levels in each study arm. HsCRP was selected as primary outcome because it is an internationally recognized marker of inflammation and cardiovascular risk [14,15]. Secondary outcomes included other markers of inflammatory and metabolic status, oxidative stress, gut microbiota composition as
well as quality of life and physical performance.