Fructooligosaccharide and cholesterol levels in people and animals
What it found
Fructooligosaccharide intake may help cholesterol levels, especially in people who also change their lifestyle.
The evidence comes from animal and human studies.
What they found
Studies in people
2g FOS daily in people
One study found that 2g FOS daily significantly raised HDL cholesterol but did not significantly reduce total cholesterol or triglycerides.
10.6g FOS in patients
Patients with mild high cholesterol taking 10.6g short-chain FOS daily showed no statistically significant reduction in serum cholesterol.
FOS plus lifestyle change
When FOS was given to patients who also changed their lifestyle, the drop in LDL cholesterol and steatosis was greater.
Animal and lab studies
Rats on FOS diet
In insulin-resistant rats, a FOS diet prevented some lipid disorders and lowered fatty acid synthase activity in the liver.
Beagle dogs on FOS
Beagle dogs on a calorie-restricted diet enriched with short-chain FOS had lower weight and total cholesterol.
What the authors conclude
“Fructooligosaccharides intake may have a beneficial effect on lipid metabolism and regulation of serum cholesterol levels in individuals that change their lifestyle.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that fructooligosaccharide intake may have a beneficial effect on lipid metabolism and regulation of serum cholesterol levels in individuals that change their lifestyle.
- They say that FOS supplementation in diets may therefore be a strategy for lowering cholesterol.
How it was done
The authors wanted to look at whether eating fructooligosaccharides affects cholesterol levels in the blood.
They searched for scientific articles in MEDLINE from 1987 to 2014 using the keywords fructooligosaccharides and cholesterol. They found 493 articles and selected 34 references after removing duplicates. They grouped the texts into two topics: how FOS is broken down in the body, and its effects on blood cholesterol.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The studies in animals cannot show what happens in people.
- The human studies were small and some found no significant effect, so the results are not clear for everyone.
- This overview cannot prove that FOS directly causes cholesterol changes.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Federal University of Ceara, Brazil; Faculty of Medicine, Brazil
The paper
- Title
- Fructo-oligosaccharide effects on serum cholesterol levels. 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, Abreu GC, Guimarães AB, Vasconcelos PR, Guimarães SB (2015). Fructo-oligosaccharide effects on serum cholesterol levels. An overview. Acta cirurgica brasileira. doi:10.1590/S0102-865020150050000009PubMed 26016937DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error