SynthesisMedicine2018
The effects of probiotics on total cholesterol: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy of Probiotics in Patients of Cardiovascular Disease Risk: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Current hypertension reports · 2020Pooled it
- Distinct Microbial Taxa Are Associated with LDL-Cholesterol Reduction after 12 Weeks of Lactobacillus plantarum Intake in Mild Hypercholesterolemia: Results of a Randomized Controlled Study.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2025Trial
- Effect of DailyMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Trial
- Effect of PostbioticNutrients · 2024Trial
- Daily supplementation with the Lab4P probiotic consortium induces significant weight loss in overweight adults.Scientific reports · 2021Trial
- Characterization of the Probiotic Properties and Cholesterol Metabolism Regulation Potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum QL-19.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Article
- Effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum on moderate dyslipidemia before medication involving gut microbiota and host genetics.NPJ science of food · 2026Article
- Probiotic Strains from Canine Milk Support Gastrointestinal Health in Weaning Labrador Retriever Puppies.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Gut microbiota dysbiosis-induced chronic inflammation as a driver of atherosclerosis: cellular crosstalk and host-microbe interactions.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- Gut microbiota-derived metabolites in cardiovascular disease: mechanisms, disease-specific roles, and translational opportunities.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- Growth Performance, Immuno-Oxidant Status, Intestinal Health, Gene Expression, and Histomorphology of Growing Quails Fed Diets Supplemented with Essential Oils and Probiotics.Veterinary sciences · 2025Article
- Biliary Microbial Community and Metabolic Potential in Patients with Multiple Common Bile Duct Stones.Clinical and experimental gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Next-Generation Probiotics and Chronic Diseases: A Review of Current Research and Future Directions.Journal of agricultural and food chemistry · 2024Review
- Review
- The potential preventive effect of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on cardiovascular risk factors through modulation of gut microbiota: A review.Food science & nutrition · 2024Review
- Review
- A scoping review on natural cholesterol lowering supplements sold in South African pharmacies.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2024Article
- Randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of synbiotic supplementation on serum endotoxin and trimethylamine N-oxide levels in patients with dyslipidaemia.Archives of medical sciences. Atherosclerotic diseases · 2024Article
- Probiotics as potential treatments to reduce myocardial remodelling and heart failure via the gut-heart axis: State-of-the-art review.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2023Review
- Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains Isolated from Algerian Honeybee and Honey and Exploration of Their Potential Probiotic and Functional Features for Human Use.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundProbiotics supplements provide a new nonpharmacological alternative to reduce cardiovascular risk factors. The impact of probiotics on the reduction of total cholesterol (TC) remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to showcase the most updated and comprehensive evaluation of the studies.
methodsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched from electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database dating from January 2007 to January 2017. The curative effects of probiotics on the reduction of TC were assessed using mean difference (MD), as well as their 95% confidence interval (CI). RevMan software (version 5.3) was used to carry out this meta-analysis.
resultsThirty-two RCTs including 1971 patients met the inclusion criteria. Results of this analysis showed that compared with the control group serum TC was significantly reduced in probiotics group [MD = -13.27, 95% CI (-16.74 to 9.80), P < .05]. In addition, specific strains also significantly reduced serum TC, L acidophilus and B lactis [MD = -8.30, 95% CI (-10.44, -6.15), P < .05]; VSL#3 [MD = -11.04, 95% CI (-19.61, -2.48), P < .05]; L plantarum t ≤ 6 weeks: [MD = -1.56, 95% CI (-6.97, -3.86), P < .05] or t > 6 weeks: [MD = -22.18, 95% CI (-28.73, -15.63), P < .05]. Subgroup analysis indicated that the difference of baseline TC, probiotics forms and intervention duration might have a significant impact on the results. However, strains and doses of probiotics had no significant influence on curative effects.
conclusionAvailable evidence indicates that probiotics supplements can significantly reduce serum TC. Furthermore, higher baseline TC, longer intervention time, and probiotics in capsules form might contribute to a better curative effect.
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Registered trials
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.