The physiological effects of intrinsic and isolated arabinoxylans on human immunometabolic response: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 40790673 · doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116866
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis across Embase, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science through August 4, 2024. They evaluated randomized controlled trials comparing the immunometabolic effects of foods containing intrinsic arabinoxylans against isolated arabinoxylans or arabinoxylooligosaccharides in human participants. Evidence certainty was evaluated using GRADE.
What was found
Across 30 randomized controlled trials with 1,140 participants, intrinsic arabinoxylans significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (standardized mean difference [SMD]: -0.44; 95% CI: -0.75, -0.13; p = 0.005; I2 = 60%) and systolic blood pressure (mean difference [MD]: -2.86; 95% CI: -5.45, -0.27; p = 0.03; I2 = 0%), with glucose reductions also observed in overweight and obese subgroups (SMD: -0.25; 95% CI: -0.48, -0.03; p = 0.03; I2 = 0%). Isolated forms reduced fasting blood glucose (SMD: -0.19; 95% CI: -0.36, -0.02; p = 0.03; I2 = 0%) and total cholesterol (MD: -0.14; 95% CI: -0.27, -0.01; p = 0.03; I2 = 0%), while increasing lymphocyte count (MD: 3.52; 95% CI: 0.75, 6.29; p = 0.01; I2 = 28%). In normal-weight participants, isolated forms reduced fasting glucose with SMD -0.24 (95% CI: -0.45, -0.02; p = 0.03; I2 = 0%).
Why it matters
This review demonstrates that the food matrix alters fiber efficacy, indicating that intrinsic and isolated arabinoxylans produce different immunometabolic responses based on participant characteristics.
Limits
Individual trials had small sample sizes averaging 38 participants per study. Substantial heterogeneity was present for intrinsic arabinoxylans on fasting glucose (I2 = 60%). The abstract does not report intervention duration, specific fiber doses, long-term clinical endpoints, or adverse event rates.
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