Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31885541›Full record

ReviewGastroenterology research and practice2019

Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis: The Effects of Probiotics in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Meng-Wei Xiao, Shi-Xin Lin, Zhao-Hua Shen, Wei-Wei Luo, Xiao-Yan Wang

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Gastroenterology research and practice, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
47citing papers in PubMed, 11 pooled it
5.9field-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

47 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 83 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Efficacy of interventions with live combinedFrontiers in pharmacology · 2025
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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

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Meng-Wei XiaoDepartment of Gastroenterology, Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8746-534X
Shi-Xin LinDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330000, China.
Zhao-Hua ShenDepartment of Gastroenterology, Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Wei-Wei LuoDepartment of Gastroenterology, Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0000-420X
Xiao-Yan WangDepartment of Gastroenterology, Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7281-1078
Central South University · CNNanchang University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsProbiotics was considered as a potential therapy for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) without approval and comprehensive assessment in recent years, which call for a meta-analysis.

methodsWe performed electronic and manual searches including English and Chinese databases published before April 2019, with the use of mesh term and free text of "nonalcoholic fatty liver disease" and "probiotics." Clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of probiotic therapy in NAFLD patients were included according to the eligibility criteria. With the use of random effects models, clinical outcomes were presented as weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI), while heterogeneity and meta-regression were also assessed.

results28 clinical trials enrolling 1555 criterion proven NAFLD patients with the use of probiotics from 4 to 28 weeks were included. Overall, probiotic therapy had beneficial effects on body mass index (WMD: -1.46, 95% CI: [-2.44, -0.48]), alanine aminotransferase (WMD: -13.40, 95% CI: [-17.03, -9.77]), aspartate transaminase (WMD: -13.54, 95% CI: [-17.86, -9.22]), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (WMD: -9.88, 95% CI: [-17.77, -1.99]), insulin (WMD: -1.32, 95% CI: [-2.43, -0.21]), homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (WMD: -0.42, 95% CI: [-0.73, -0.12]), and total cholesterol (WMD: -15.38, 95% CI: [-26.50, -4.25]), but not in fasting blood sugar, lipid profiles, or tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

conclusionThe systematic review and meta-analysis support that probiotics are superior to placebo in NAFLD patients and could be utilized as a common complementary therapeutic approach.

Identifiers

PMID31885541
PMCPMC6927028
OpenAlexW2995499525

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.