The Effect of Prebiotic Products on Decreasing Adiposity Parameters in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis
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abstract
Background:Prebiotics are substrates selectively utilized by host microorganisms to confer
health benefits. The potential of prebiotics to decrease body weight in overweight/obese individuals
was suggested by some clinical and animal studies. However, these studies were based on relatively
small sample sizes and the precise effects of prebiotic products have not yet been evaluated.
Therefore, the present meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) was designed to
comprehensively assess the effects of prebiotic products on overweight and obese individuals.Methods:PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library were searched to identify RCT investigating the
effects of prebiotic products on overweight and obese individuals. We calculated the pooled weighted
mean difference (WMD) to assess the effects of prebiotic products on Body Mass Index (BMI), body
weight, fat mass and inflammatory biomarkers.Results:Twelve RCTs with a total of 535 overweight and obese individuals were enrolled. Compared
with placebo, prebiotic products decreased C reactive protein (WMD, -1.06 mg/L; 95%CI, -1.72 to -
0.40; p=0.002), tumour necrosis factor-α(WMD, -0.64 pg/mL; 95%CI, -1.11 to -0.18; p=0.006) and
other inflammatory markers, such as interleukin-1β，lipopolysaccharide (p<0.05); whereas no
reductions in BMI (WMD, -0.20 kg/m2; 95%CI, -0.58 to 0.19; p=0.32), body weight (WMD, -0.51
kg; 95%CI, -1.18 to 0.16; p=0.14) and fat mass (WMD, 0.11 kg; 95%CI, -0.04 to 0.25; p=0.15) were
observed.Conclusion:In the present analysis, comprehensive evidence suggested that prebiotic products did
not decrease adiposity parameters (BMI, body weight and body fat mass), but they could decrease the
levels of systemic inflammatory biomarkers, implying adherence to prebiotic products might be a
promising complementary approach to managing inflammatory states in overweight and obese individuals.
