2.3. Experimental Design
This was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group study. Participants were randomized by computer-generated randomization into two groups (1:1), with age at screening, sex, body weight, body fat rate and VFA serving as stratification factors for randomization in block sizes of four. The controller (allocation manager) assigned the two groups to the test drink intake group and the control food intake group. For the sample size, the final target number of subjects was set at 60, referring to previous reports on visceral fat reduction with probiotics [