Effect of carnosine or beta-alanine supplementation therapy for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 40999397 · doi:10.1186/s12902-025-02016-w
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials searching PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase through October 9, 2024. Eligible studies evaluated carnosine or beta-alanine supplementation compared to placebo in patients with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Quality and risk of bias were appraised using the Jadad scale and Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Data were pooled using fixed-effects models and inverse-variance methods.
What was found
Across 8 trials with 377 total participants, supplementation compared with placebo significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (SMD: -0.53; 95% CI: -0.75 to -0.31; p < 0.00001) and HbA1c (SMD: -0.36; 95% CI: -0.59 to -0.12; p = 0.003). Supplementation improved HOMA-β and reduced total cholesterol, but the abstract reports no numerical effect sizes or confidence intervals for these two outcomes. No statistically significant effects were observed for body mass index, fasting insulin, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, or HOMA-IR.
Why it matters
This review provides quantitative evidence that carnosine and beta-alanine supplementation may act as effective adjunct therapies for improving glycemic control and beta-cell function in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Limits
The total sample size across all 8 trials is small (377 participants). The analysis combines two distinct interventions (carnosine and beta-alanine) and two distinct patient populations (prediabetes and type 2 diabetes). Specific numerical estimates for total cholesterol and HOMA-β are missing from the abstract, and optimal dosage, duration, and long-term clinical efficacy remain undefined.
Cited by
- supports A 2025 trial in diabetes patients showed carnosine supplementation directly improved glycemic and inflammatory markers.