Effects of inulin on the plasma lipid profile of normolipidemic and hyperlipidemic subjects: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Inulin has been shown to be an effective therapeutic for reducing total serum cholesterol and triglycerides in clinical trials with modest sample sizes. A systematic literature search of several databases was conducted for studies that investigated the efficacy of inulin on the plasma lipid profile of subjects. A random-effects model was used to calculate the weighted mean difference and 95% CI as the difference between the mean for the inulin and control groups. The pooled mean net changes in total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C and triglycerides of hyperlipidemic and normolipidemic subjects with inulin compared with controls were calculated. The results indicate that a diet rich in inulin has beneficial effects on total cholesterol and LDL-C, as well as triglyceride concentration in the plasma of hyperlipidemic subjects, and has no effects on plasma lipids in normolipidemic subjects.