Fructooligosaccharide and blood glucose: an overview
What it found
In people with type 2 diabetes, adding 8 grams of fructooligosaccharide to the diet for 14 days reduced blood glucose.
In healthy people, another study found no change in blood sugar control.
What they found
Studies in people
Gut transit and feces
Five studies found that taking fructooligosaccharides reduced the amount of feces and increased how long food takes to move through the gut.
Type 2 diabetes study
In people with type 2 diabetes, adding 8 grams of fructooligosaccharide to the diet for 14 days reduced blood glucose.
Healthy people study
In another study with healthy people, there were no changes in blood sugar control.
Animal and lab studies
High-dose propionate in lab studies
In experimental studies, adding high doses of propionate (60 g per kg) to the diet lowered blood glucose. Lower doses (3 g per kg) did not do the same.
What the authors conclude
“This review demonstrates that consumption of FOS has a beneficial influence on glucose metabolism.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that eating fructooligosaccharides has a helpful effect on how the body handles glucose.
- They say the disagreements between studies seem to be due to poor study designs or small numbers of people in some studies.
How it was done
The authors wanted to find out what is known about fructooligosaccharides, which are non-conventional sugars that play an important role in blood sugar control.
They searched scientific articles in MEDLINE and LILACS from January 1962 to December 2011. From 434 references, 43 were included. The texts were grouped into three topics: how fructooligosaccharides are processed by the body, experimental studies on glucose, and human studies on glucose and fructooligosaccharides.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The studies included were very different from each other, so it is hard to compare their results directly.
- Some studies had only a small number of people, so their findings may not apply to everyone.
- The review does not say how long the effects last or whether they matter for health over time.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Federal University of Amazon, Brazil
The paper
- Title
- Fructo-oligosaccharide effects on blood glucose: an overview
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Costa GT, Guimarães SB, Sampaio HA (2012). Fructo-oligosaccharide effects on blood glucose: an overview. Acta cirurgica brasileira. doi:10.1590/s0102-86502012000300013PubMed 22460261DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error