Probiotic supplementation may benefit patients with prediabetes, diabetes or gestational diabetes
China: The supplementation of probiotic/prebiotic/synbiotic may improve blood sugar profile among patients with type 2 diabetes/gestational diabetes, gestational women with normal glucose, or people with prediabetes, according to results from a meta-analysis published in Public Health.
Previous studies have investigated the effects of probiotic/prebiotic/synbiotic supplementation on blood glucose profiles in patients with diabetes. However, the results have not been consistent.
Considering the above, Z. Wang, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China, and colleagues conducted a systematic search from online databases (PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane Central) to identify high-quality clinical trials examining the effect of probiotic/prebiotic/synbiotic supplementation on blood glucose profiles [including hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)] up to December 2020. To investigate the different effects among different populations, subgroup analyses by types or durations of probiotic/prebiotic/synbiotic supplementation were conducted. The final analyses included a total of 39 trials with 3517 participants.
Based on the study, the researchers reported the following:
- Among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), the summarized standardized mean differences (SMDs) of FBG, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR were −0.30, −0.59, and −0.68, respectively.
- Among patients with gestational diabetes (GDM), the summary SMDs of FBG, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR were −0.67, −0.24, and −1.06, respectively.
- Similar improvements in blood glucose profiles were also found among persons with prediabetes or gestational woman with normal glucose, but not among patients with type I diabetes.
- Subgroup analyses showed similar results for probiotic supplementation for patients with T2DM and probiotic/synbiotic supplementation for patients with GDM.
"In patients with type 2 diabetes/gestational diabetes, persons with prediabetes, or gestational women with normal glucose, probiotic/prebiotic/synbiotic supplementation might improve the blood glucose profiles," the researchers wrote. "There is a need for trials with more sophisticated design to validate the results in the future."
Reference:
Wang, Z, et al. "Effects of Probiotic/prebiotic/synbiotic Supplementation On Blood Glucose Profiles: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials." Public Health, vol. 210, 2022, pp. 149-159.
