Trial reportBMC medicine2025
Differential effects of inulin and fructooligosaccharides on gut microbiota composition and glycemic metabolism in overweight/obese and healthy individuals: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial.
Trial report in BMC medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A Systematic Review of Folate and the Human Enteric Microbiome: Biological Mechanisms and Clinical Implications.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Trial
- Gut-lung axis and microbiome alterations in mycobacterial infections: from pathogenesis to therapeutic potential.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- 1-Kestose as a Candidate Precision Bioactive Component: From GH32-Dependent Gut Microbiota Regulation to Human Health Enhancement.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- GV-971 remodels the gut microbiota-bile acid-FXR axis to ameliorate obesity and metabolic dysfunction.Cell discovery · 2026Article
- Effect of Chitooligosaccharides-Combination Fortified Noodles Intervention on Visceral Adiposity and Serum Metabolites in a High-Risk Occupational Cohort of Young Seafarers.Food science & nutrition · 2026Article
- Natural Bioactive Compounds Targeting Gut Barrier Integrity and Metabolic Endotoxemia in Cardiometabolic Disease: Mechanistic Insights and Translational Perspectives.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Gut microbiota-host adaptive immune interactions in type 2 diabetes mellitus: mechanisms, disease progression, and microbiota-based therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Gut microbiota-derived metabolites in cardiovascular disease: mechanisms, disease-specific roles, and translational opportunities.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- Mechanisms by which complex carbohydrates influence immune imbalance in COPD via the gut-lung axis: from colonic fermentation to pulmonary immune responses.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Precision nutrition targeting the gut microbiota for weight management: mechanisms and applications.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Modulating the Gut Microbiome in Type 2 Diabetes: Nutritional and Therapeutic Strategies.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Prebiotic Structural Diversity Shapes Gut Microbial Diversity, Community Composition, and Metabolic Activity In Vitro.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Techno-Functional Properties and Applications of Inulin in Food Systems.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundModulating the gut microbiota with prebiotics is a promising strategy for managing metabolic diseases. However, the clinical effects on glycemic metabolism across different populations remain uncertain. In this study, we conducted a randomized, double-blind investigation to examine the impact of inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) on glycemic metabolism in overweight/obese and healthy adults.
methodsA total of 131 adults were included, with 44 receiving inulin, 43 receiving FOS, and 44 receiving placebo over a period of 4 weeks. Blood and fecal samples were collected before and after the intervention, and various metabolic parameters, gut microbiota composition, and metabolites were analyzed.
resultsPlacebo had no effect on glycemic metabolism or gut microbiota. Inulin significantly reduced glucose levels at 1 h (Cohen's d = 0.71, p = 0.041) and 2 h (Cohen's d = 0.73, p = 0.028) during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), increased fasting insulin (Cohen's d = 0.70, p = 0.008), and lowered homocysteine (HCY) levels (Cohen's d = 0.76, p = 0.014) in overweight/obese individuals. These effects were not observed in healthy individuals. In contrast, although FOS significantly decreased HCY (Cohen's d = 0.72, p = 0.023), it did not improve glycemic metrics in either group. Inulin also reduced the abundance of Ruminococcus by 72.0% (from 1.661% ± 1.501% to 0.465% ± 0.594%), positively correlating with improved glycemic outcomes. Propionate levels decreased significantly in both overweight/obese (Cohen's d = 0.89, p = 0.014) and healthy participants (Cohen's d = 1.19, p = 0.020) following inulin. Functional prediction of gut microbiota revealed upregulation of microbial folate and glutathione metabolism with inulin, and purine metabolism with FOS.
conclusionsPractically, inulin may be more suitable for managing glycemic dysregulation in overweight or obese individuals, while FOS may be considered for HCY reduction in individuals with normal glycemic status. Such targeted use of prebiotics could complement existing dietary and pharmacologic strategies in personalized metabolic care. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR-IOR-17010574.
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