Using probiotics for type 2 diabetes mellitus intervention: Advances, questions, and potential

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has become one of the most prevalent diseases on earth and several treatments have been developed. However, the current intervention approaches have not been as effective as expected. One promising supplementary strategy is the use of probiotics through direct or indirect approaches. Probiotics are microbial food cultures conferring health-promoting properties. In this review, we summarized the current theories and mechanisms of T2DM intervention using probiotics and hypothesize that probiotics intervene T2DM during its onsetting, developing, and complicating. For the first time, we comprehensively analyzed T2DM intervention in animal models using both wide-type probiotics in different forms and using recombinant probiotics. Then, probiotic intervention in T2DM patients was reviewed and the main results were compared with that obtained from animal studies. Finally yet importantly, remaining questions that are important such as in which form and in which state, as well as the future potential of probiotic intervention in T2DM were discussed from a perspective of food microbiologists. In conclusion, probiotic intervention in T2DM is promising but there are still many important issues unsolved yet. Critical review of the advances, questions, and potential of probiotic intervention in T2DM promotes the development of this approach for further application in humans.

Keywords:

• Probiotics
• diabetes mellitus
• glucose
• insulin
• immunity

Acknowledgements

The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Henan Province Science and Technology Agency under Grant 172102410055 and the Education Department of Henan Province under Grant 17A180017.