Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41233893›Full record

ArticleNutrition & metabolism2025

The effect of postbiotics supplementation on obesity and metabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials.

Shuwen Li, Mohammad Hassan Sohouli, Zeli Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nutrition & metabolism, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
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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

3 authors.

Shuwen LiDongguan Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Dongguan, 523000, China.
Mohammad Hassan SohouliPediatrics Centre of Excellence Children's Medical Center Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. mohammadhassansohouli@gmail.com.
Zeli LiDongguan Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Dongguan, 523000, China. interngrey@126.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe prevalence of metabolic disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia has increased globally. Postbiotics as non-viable microbial products or metabolites, have recently emerged as potential modulators of metabolic health due to their anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing properties. In order to obtain a better viewpoint from them, this study aimed to comprehensively investigate the effects of postbiotics on metabolic health.

methodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis, adhering to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, synthesized data from 25 RCTs assessing the effects of postbiotic supplementation on metabolic parameters. Databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched up to June 2025. Outcomes included glycemic indices, anthropometric measures, lipid profiles, inflammatory markers, and blood pressure.

resultsPostbiotic supplementation significantly reduced serum insulin levels (WMD: - 2.76 µU/mL), triglycerides (TG) (-8.46 mg/dL), waist circumference (WC) (-1.47 cm), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (-0.99 mg/L). However, changes in fasting blood glucose (FBG), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), HbA1c, other profile lipids, blood pressure as well as weight and body mass index (BMI) were not statistically significant. Subgroup analyses revealed more pronounced benefits in younger participants, bacterial-based formulations, and interventions longer than 8 weeks. Risk of bias was low to moderate, and no major publication bias was detected.

conclusionPostbiotic supplementation demonstrates modest but clinically relevant benefits on insulin sensitivity, central adiposity, TG, and systemic inflammation. These effects suggest a promising adjunctive role for postbiotics in metabolic health interventions, though further trials with standardized formulations and longer durations are warranted.

Indexed as

InflammationInsulin resistanceMeta-analysisMetabolic healthPostbioticsSCFAs

Identifiers

PMID41233893
PMCPMC12613684

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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 Socratic graph.