Hormonal
Administration of probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics can improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in humans, primarily through mechanisms involving short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, modulation of gut microbiota composition, and reduction of systemic inflammation.
If you have insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, consuming specific probiotic strains (like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium combinations) or prebiotics (like inulin or FOS) may help improve your blood sugar control. However, results are not guaranteed and depend heavily on the specific strain and dose used. It is not a substitute for standard medical care but may be a useful adjunct.
Probiotics and/or prebiotics could be a promising approach to improve insulin sensitivity by favourably modifying the composition of the gut microbial community, reducing intestinal endotoxin concentrations and decreasing energy harvest.
Why this rating
The paper is a review of human clinical trials, noting that while some show positive effects, others show no effect or negative effects, leading to mixed overall evidence.
Source
Probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics and insulin sensitivity
Y. A. Kim et al. · Nutrition Research Reviews · 2017
DOI 10.1017/s095442241700018x
More from this paper
- Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), particularly butyrate, produced by gut microbiota fermentation of prebiotics/probiotics, improve insulin sensitivity by activating G-protein-coupled receptors on L-cells to stimulate GLP-1 and PYY release.Good
- Probiotic supplementation can reduce systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, which are contributors to insulin resistance, by lowering pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing antioxidant enzyme activity.Moderate
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