Abstract
Modulating gut microbiota composition through probiotic administration has been proposed as a novel therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and fermented milk is arguably the most common and ideal probiotic carrier. The present meta-analysis was performed to assess the effects of probiotic fermented milk supplementation on glucose and lipid metabolism parameters and inflammatory markers in patients with T2DM using published data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant RCTs. A random-effects model was used to generate the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Probiotic fermented milk supplementation reduced the levels of fasting plasma glucose (MD = -17.01, 95% CI -26.43, -7.58 mg/dL; n = 7), hemoglobin A1c (MD = -0.47, 95% CI -0.74, -0.21%; n = 7), total cholesterol (MD = -5.15, 95% CI -9.52, -0.78 mg/dL; n = 7), and C-reactive protein (MD = -0.25, 95% CI -0.43, -0.08; n = 3) but did not significantly affect the levels of HOMA-IR (MD = -0.89, 95% CI -2.55, 0.78; n = 3), triglyceride (MD = -4.69, 95% CI -14.67, 5.30 mg/dL; n = 6), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD = -4.25, 95% CI -8.63, 0.13 mg/dL; n = 7), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD = 1.20, 95% CI -0.96, 3.36 mg/dL; n = 7), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (MD: -0.58, 95% CI -1.47, 0.32 pg/mL; n = 2). In summary, the present findings provide a crude indication of the potential benefits of probiotic fermented milk supplementation in improving glucose and lipid metabolism and inflammation in patients with T2DM. However, more robust evidence is needed to determine the clinical significance of probiotic fermented milk in the management of T2DM.