Effects of prebiotic consumption on serum intestinal fatty acid‐binding protein levels in patients with diabetes: A case‐control study

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a condition involving several molecular mechanisms related to the intestinal microbiota for its development. Intestinal fatty acid‐binding protein (I‐FABP) is a sensitive marker to study enterocyte damage. A prebiotic is a non‐digestible food ingredient that improves host health by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activities of bacteria in the colon. We aimed to clarify the currently described effects of prebiotics in the prevention and management of T2DM. Methods In this case‐control study, we chose 68 participants with T2DM and 52 healthy participants. Both groups were further divided based on consumption of prebiotics. Forty participants with T2DM consumed prebiotics, and 28 did not; 30 healthy volunteers consumed prebiotics, and 22 did not. We used the analysis of variance to compare the inflammation levels between the case and control groups. Multiple linear regression was performed for the significantly correlated groups to estimate the influence of prebiotics on inflammation level. Results Age was a significant factor for difference in I‐FABP levels (standardized coefficient: 0.06; P = .047). The analysis of eating habits showed that vegetarian diets produced lower I‐FABP levels than non‐vegetarian diets (standardized coefficient: −2.55; P = .022). Results showed that patients with T2DM who consumed prebiotics expressed lower I‐FABP levels, reflecting an improvement in inflammation level, than the healthy volunteers who did not consume prebiotics (standardized coefficient: −3.20; P = .019). Conclusions For patients with T2DM, prebiotics supplemented produced no significant impact on serum I‐FABP levels. To evaluate effects of prebiotics in the prevention and management T2DM, totally 120 patients were recruited for the initial screening with I‐FABP. The participants in this study had no history of gastrointestinal disease and had not been treated with antibiotics or laxatives within 3 months before the experiment; all T2DM patients received dietary advice to control and treat diabetes. Blood or urine samples were collected at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months, followed by proper statistical analysis.