Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30971437›Full record

Trial reportGut2019

Dietary supplementation with inulin-propionate ester or inulin improves insulin sensitivity in adults with overweight and obesity with distinct effects on the gut microbiota, plasma metabolome and systemic inflammatory responses: a randomised cross-over trial.

Edward S Chambers, Claire S Byrne, Douglas J Morrison, Kevin G Murphy, Tom Preston, Catriona Tedford, Isabel Garcia-Perez, Sofia Fountana, Jose Ivan Serrano-Contreras, Elaine Holmes and 10 more

Open access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Gut, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 223 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
223citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
16.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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

223 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 418 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Impacts of Lifestyle and Microbiota-Targeted Interventions for Overweight and Obesity on the Human Gut Microbiome: A Systematic Review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
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163 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Edward S ChambersSection for Nutrition Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7074-1312
Claire S ByrneSection for Nutrition Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Douglas J MorrisonStable Isotope Biochemistry Laboratory, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Glasgow, UK.
Kevin G MurphySection of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Tom PrestonStable Isotope Biochemistry Laboratory, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Glasgow, UK.
Catriona TedfordSchool of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK.
Isabel Garcia-PerezComputational and Systems Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Sofia FountanaComputational and Systems Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Jose Ivan Serrano-ContrerasComputational and Systems Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Elaine HolmesComputational and Systems Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Catherine J ReynoldsDepartment of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Jordie F RobertsDepartment of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Rosemary J BoytonDepartment of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Daniel M AltmannDepartment of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Julie A K McDonaldDivision of Integrative Systems Medicine and Digestive Disease, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0739-6047
Julian R MarchesiDivision of Integrative Systems Medicine and Digestive Disease, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Arne N AkbarDivision of Infectionand Immunity, University College London, London, UK.
Natalie E RiddellFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
Gareth A WallisSchool of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Gary S FrostSection for Nutrition Research, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Imperial College London · GBScottish Universities Environmental Research Centre · GBUniversity College London · GBUniversity of Birmingham · GBUniversity of Surrey · GBUniversity of the West of Scotland · GB

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/H004971/1Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/L004259/1Department of HealthMedical Research Council
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate the underlying mechanisms behind changes in glucose homeostasis with delivery of propionate to the human colon by comprehensive and coordinated analysis of gut bacterial composition, plasma metabolome and immune responses.

designTwelve non-diabetic adults with overweight and obesity received 20 g/day of inulin-propionate ester (IPE), designed to selectively deliver propionate to the colon, a high-fermentable fibre control (inulin) and a low-fermentable fibre control (cellulose) in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Outcome measurements of metabolic responses, inflammatory markers and gut bacterial composition were analysed at the end of each 42-day supplementation period.

resultsBoth IPE and inulin supplementation improved insulin resistance compared with cellulose supplementation, measured by homeostatic model assessment 2 (mean±SEM 1.23±0.17 IPE vs 1.59±0.17 cellulose, p=0.001; 1.17±0.15 inulin vs 1.59±0.17 cellulose, p=0.009), with no differences between IPE and inulin (p=0.272). Fasting insulin was only associated positively with plasma tyrosine and negatively with plasma glycine following inulin supplementation. IPE supplementation decreased proinflammatory interleukin-8 levels compared with cellulose, while inulin had no impact on the systemic inflammatory markers studied. Inulin promoted changes in gut bacterial populations at the class level (increased Actinobacteria and decreased Clostridia) and order level (decreased Clostridiales) compared with cellulose, with small differences at the species level observed between IPE and cellulose.

conclusionThese data demonstrate a distinctive physiological impact of raising colonic propionate delivery in humans, as improvements in insulin sensitivity promoted by IPE and inulin were accompanied with different effects on the plasma metabolome, gut bacterial populations and markers of systemic inflammation.

Indexed as

InulinObesityOverweightAdultBody Mass IndexCross-Over StudiesDietary SupplementsDouble-Blind MethodFecesFemaleGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHumansInflammationInsulinInsulin ResistanceMaleInsulinInulinPropionatescolonic microfloraglucose metabolisminflammationshort-chain fatty acids

Identifiers

PMID30971437
PMCPMC6691855
OpenAlexW2935715550

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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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.