Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27590729›Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of nutrition2018

Effect of probiotics and synbiotics on blood glucose: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials.

Elham Nikbakht, Saman Khalesi, Indu Singh, Lauren Therese Williams, Nicholas P West, Natalie Colson

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of nutrition, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
51citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
6.7field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

51 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 123 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Nutrients · 2025
    Trial
  6. Effect of DailyMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025
    Trial
  7. Trial
  8. Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Effects of probiotic3 Biotech · 2025
    Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Elham NikbakhtMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
Saman KhalesiMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia. s.khalesi@cqu.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8208-2518
Indu SinghMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
Lauren Therese WilliamsMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
Nicholas P WestMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
Natalie ColsonMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
Griffith University · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeHigh fasting blood glucose (FBG) can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Consuming probiotics or synbiotics may improve FBG. A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials was conducted to clarify the effect of probiotic and synbiotic consumption on FBG levels.

methodsPubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases were searched for relevant studies based on eligibility criteria. Randomized or non-randomized controlled trials which investigated the efficacy of probiotics or synbiotics on the FBG of adults were included. Studies were excluded if they were review articles and study protocols, or if the supplement dosage was not clearly mentioned.

resultsA total of fourteen studies (eighteen trials) were included in the analysis. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted for the mean difference in FBG. Overall reduction in FBG observed from consumption of probiotics and synbiotics was borderline statistically significant (-0.18 mmol/L 95 % CI -0.37, 0.00; p = 0.05). Neither probiotic nor synbiotic subgroup analysis revealed a significant reduction in FBG. The result of subgroup analysis for baseline FBG level ≥7 mmol/L showed a reduction in FBG of 0.68 mmol/L (-1.07, -0.29; ρ < 0.01), while trials with multiple species of probiotics showed a more pronounced reduction of 0.31 mmol/L (-0.58, -0.03; ρ = 0.03) compared to single species trials.

conclusionThis meta-analysis suggests that probiotic and synbiotic supplementation may be beneficial in lowering FBG in adults with high baseline FBG (≥7 mmol/L) and that multispecies probiotics may have more impact on FBG than single species.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedBlood GlucoseControlled Clinical Trials as TopicFastingHumansHyperglycemiaMEDLINEMiddle AgedProbioticsRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSynbioticsBlood GlucoseFasting blood glucoseHyperglycemiaProbioticsSynbiotics

Identifiers

PMID27590729
OpenAlexW2508121172

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.