Statistical analysis
SIDE EFFECT
Participants were compared on different baseline characteristics; therefore Independent-sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test analyses were employed based on normal and non-normal distribution, respectively. Normality of variables was assessed by Shapiro-wilk test. The comparison of qualitative variables was performed by using Chi square analysis. The quantitative and qualitative data were represented as mean ± SD and numbers (%), respectively. Repeated measures ANOVA was performed to determine the changes of dietary intake of the participants during the study (time effect), the difference between placebo and synbiotics intake (group effect), and the interaction of time and group on changes of participants’ dietary intake (time-group effect). To determine the effects of synbiotics supplementation on each chemotherapy-induces side effect, Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) model was used after transforming big data to longitudinal data. All analyses were performed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 (Chicago, IL, USA). P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.