Supplement
Prebiotics are plant fibers that the body can't digest but that feed the beneficial bacteria living in your gut. People mostly look at them around Clostridioides difficile infection, a gut infection that can follow antibiotics, and the evidence there is moderate, covering about 600 people. Elsewhere it is thinner: very limited studies found no clear difference in irritable bowel pain or bloating, or in body mass index in fatty liver disease.
- Updated
- How we grade
- 1 study cited
- Best evidence
- Grade D
- Conditions studied
- 4
- Outcomes
- 13
- Graded outcomes
- 0003
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdominal Pain No effect | NoneNo effect | 8,315 people | ||||
| Bloating No effect | NoneNo effect | 8,315 people | ||||
| Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 8,315 people | ||||
| Quality of Life | Improves (the measure goes up) | 8,315 people |
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body Mass Index (BMI) No effect | NoneNo effect | 1,921 people | ||||
| High-density lipoprotein (HDL) | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1,921 people | ||||
| Insulin Resistance | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1,921 people | ||||
| Liver Enzymes | Changes; see studies | 1,921 people | ||||
| Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1,921 people | ||||
| Total cholesterol | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1,921 people | ||||
| Triglycerides | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1,921 people |
Prediabetes
- Glycemic Control: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glycemic Control | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 546 people | |||
Studies that measured glycemic control | ||||||
Malnutrition
- Weight: changes; see studies
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | Changes; see studies | 1 study | 213 people | |||
Key findings
- Abdominal Pain
- Bloating
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
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- Grade D
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Studies cited
1 study from PubMed