Several studies have suggested that probiotics, such as yogurt, could play an important role in the management of diabetes, without giving a clear-cut view on the situation. This is where the interest lay for this systematic review led by an Iranian team, on the role of probiotics in modulating parameters related to diabetes in animal and human experiments.
Especially Lactobacillus
From the 1,120 reports pinpointed, 72 full-text articles were eligible, but only 33 articles (5 human and 28 animal) finally met the inclusion criteria. They highlighted the fact that Lactobacillus strains in particular, with or without other strains, were used in all the studies.
Positive research results
The review found beneficial effects of probiotics on glycemic controls: all human studies, and almost all animal studies (bar two) showed reductions in at least one of the primary outcome endpoints (fasting plasma glucose, postprandial blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, insulin, insulin resistance and onset of diabetes). The secondary outcome measures (lipid profiles, pro-inflammatory and anti-oxidant factors) also showed positive evolution with the exception of one human study and one animal study. These are on the whole favorable results for the benefits of probiotics in diabetes.