SynthesisBMC medicine2026
Effect of probiotic supplementation on the gut microbiota diversity in healthy populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Synthesis in BMC medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 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.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of probiotic supplementation on faecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Nutrition journal · 2026Pooled it
- Gut health and microbiome modulation by the heat-killed postbiotic beLP1Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Trial
- Del immune V and microbiome restructuring in colorectal cancer surgery: a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Trial
- Gut Microbiota Composition and Predicted Functional Profiles: Functional Adaptation of Overwintering Whooper Swans (Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Modulating the gut-joint axis: Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis B8762 is associated with selective gut microbial and metabolic alterations in knee osteoarthritis.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2026Article
- Multi-Strain Probiotic Intervention Modestly Modulates Microbial Composition and Inflammatory Profile in Individuals with Long COVID.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundProbiotics are widely used dietary supplements promoted to positively influence gut health and microbiota diversity, making them popular among healthy individuals. One of the purported benefits of probiotics is their ability to enhance gut microbiota diversity, a feature associated with improved resilience and overall health. However, evidence supporting this claim remains inconclusive. We aimed to investigate whether probiotics significantly modify gut microbiota diversity in healthy populations through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
methodsA systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases was conducted on 12/04/2024, following the search strategy registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022286137). Out of 9217 identified articles, 47 met the inclusion criteria of the current review, and 22 studies with data from 1068 individual subjects were eligible for meta-analysis of changes in gut microbiota diversity assessed by diversity indices. A random-effects model was employed to estimate the means of median differences (MedD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) due to the expected heterogeneity.
resultsThe quantitative synthesis revealed no statistically significant effects of probiotics on Shannon diversity (MedD = - 0.08, 95% CI [- 0.16 to 0.01]), observed operational taxonomic units (MedD = 2.19, 95% CI [- 2.20 to 6.57]), Chao1 (MedD = - 3.19, 95% CI [- 27.28 to 20.89]), or Simpson's index of diversity (MedD = - 0.01, 95% CI [- 0.02 to 0.00]) indices compared to unsupplemented controls. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses suggest that the probiotic taxonomic family, the risk of bias, or the duration of intervention did not change our findings. Insufficient data prevented us from meta-analysing other diversity indices; however, most of the included studies reported no difference in other reported α- and ß-diversity indices between the probiotic and control groups.
conclusionsOur results indicate that probiotic supplementation does not produce statistically significant changes in gut microbiota diversity in healthy individuals. This study highlights the need for further research to determine whether specific probiotic strains or formulations may influence diversity in targeted subgroups or under specific conditions.
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