Impact of Arabinoxylan Consumption on Glycemic Control: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Preclinical and Clinical Studies.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical and preclinical studies
PubMed 40944228 · doi:10.3390/nu17172840
What was done
A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL to assess the effect of arabinoxylan (AX) intake on glycemic control in preclinical and clinical studies. A total of 133 studies were included in the systematic review, with data from 46 clinical studies and 25 preclinical studies extracted for meta-analysis.
What was found
In clinical studies, AX consumption reduced postprandial glucose iAUC (SMD: -0.41; 95% CI: [-0.57, -0.25]), insulin iAUC (SMD: -0.28; 95% CI: [-0.44, -0.12]), glucose iPeak (SMD: -0.52; 95% CI: [-0.80, -0.25]), and insulin iPeak (SMD: -0.24; 95% CI: [-0.41, -0.06]) compared to control. For chronic glycemic control in clinical studies, improvements were limited to fasting glucose (MD: -0.10; 95% CI: [-0.16, -0.03]). Preclinical studies showed reductions in fasting glucose (Hedges' g: -1.18), insulin (Hedges' g: -1.07), HbA1c (Hedges' g: -2.93), and HOMA-IR (Hedges' g: -2.44). Effects were more pronounced in metabolically impaired populations and with extracted AX compared to intrinsic AX.
Why it matters
This review demonstrates that arabinoxylan, particularly in extracted form, effectively blunts postprandial glucose and insulin spikes in humans, supporting its role as a functional dietary fiber for glycemic management.
Limits
The abstract does not state the total participant count, study durations, specific dosages, or methodological quality across included trials. Chronic benefits in humans were limited to a small reduction in fasting glucose, without demonstrated human improvements in HbA1c or insulin resistance.
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