Effect of Probiotics on Glycemic Control: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 7; p. e0132121
• Main Authors: Ruan, Yuting, Sun, Jia, He, Jie, Chen, Fangyao, Chen, Rongping, Chen, Hong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 10-07-2015; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Analysis; Blood; Blood glucose; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Clinical trials; Consumption; Diabetes; Diabetes therapy; Fasting; Fasting - blood; Female; Glucose; Heterogeneity; Homeostasis; Homeostasis - drug effects; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hyperglycemia - blood; Hyperglycemia - drug therapy; Insulin; Insulin - blood; Insulin Resistance; Intestinal microflora; Laboratory testing; Lactobacillus acidophilus; Lactobacillus casei; Male; Medical ethics; Medical research; Meta-analysis; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Middle Aged; Placebos; Pregnancy; Probiotics; Probiotics - pharmacology; Probiotics - therapeutic use; Product development; Publication Bias; Quality assessment; Randomization; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Rodents; Studies; Supplements; Systematic review; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132121

Previous clinical trials indicate that probiotic consumption may improve blood glucose control, however, results from randomized trials on glycemic control have been inconsistent.
To investigate the effects of probiotics on glycemic control in a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrial.gov through October 2014.
Two independent reviewers extracted relevant data and assessed study quality and risk of bias. Data were pooled using a random-effects model and expressed as mean differences (MD) with 95% CI. Heterogeneity was assessed (Cochran Q-statistic) and quantified (I2).
Seventeen randomized controlled trials were included, in which 17 fasting blood glucose (n = 1105), 11 fasting plasma insulin (n = 788), 8 homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (n = 635) comparisons were reported. Probiotic consumption, compared with placebo, significantly reduced fasting glucose (MD = -0.31 mmol/L; 95% CI 0.56, 0.06; p = 0.02), fasting plasma insulin (MD = -1.29 μU/mL; 95% CI -2.17, -0.41; p = 0.004), and HOMA-IR (MD = 0.48; 95% CI -0.83, -0.13; p = 0.007).
Probiotic consumption may improve glycemic control modestly. Modification of gut microbiota by probiotic supplementation may be a method for preventing and control hyperglycemia in clinical practice.