Targeting gut microbiota with short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides prebiotic fibers to support metabolic health in overweight prediabetic adults - Clinical Trial - randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study

Q: What was the primary endpoint of the study?

The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c level, tested for superiority using a linear mixed model.

Q: How did scFOS affect body composition and body weight?

ScFOS led to beneficial body composition changes: fat mass decreased and lean mass increased. Body weight remained stable with scFOS while it tended to increase with placebo.

Q: What changes occurred in gut microbiota after scFOS supplementation?

Among analyzed participants, scFOS decreased α-diversity and was associated with selective microbial shifts, including an increase in Bifidobacterium and changes in other taxa, along with higher fecal acetate and propionate.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia

Twelve-week supplementation with short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS) was evaluated in overweight adults with prediabetes to determine effects on glucose homeostasis, body composition, and gut microbiota. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial, participants received 20 g/day scFOS or placebo for 12 weeks, with outcomes assessed at baseline and post-intervention. No significant change occurred in HbA1c, but scFOS improved body composition by reducing fat mass and increasing lean mass, while also reshaping microbial diversity and fermentation end products.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Background and objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Keywords

Introduction

OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Nallely Bueno-Hernández, General Hospital of Mexico, Mexico REVIEWED BY Diana Nur Afifah, Diponegoro University, Indonesia Mona Adnan Aldubayan, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia *CORRESPONDENCE Cindy Le Bourgot [cindy.lebourgot@tereos.com](cindy.lebourgot@tereos.com) RECEIVED 03 October 2025 REVISED 17 November 2025 ACCEPTED 27 November 2025 PUBLISHED 17 December 2025 CITATION Le Bourgot C, Capronnier O, Graf S and Carton T (2025) Targeting gut microbiota with short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides prebiotic fibers to support metabolic health in overweight prediabetic adults: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. Front. Nutr. 12:1718169. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1718169 COPYRIGHT © 2025 Le Bourgot, Capronnier, Graf and Carton. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. TYPE Clinical Trial PUBLISHED 17 December 2025 DOI 10.3389/fnut.2025.1718169 Targeting gut microbiota with short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides prebiotic fibers to support metabolic health in overweight prediabetic adults: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study Cindy Le Bourgot 1*, Odile Capronnier2, Sahara Graf2 and Thomas Carton 2 1Department of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, TEREOS, Moussy-le-Vieux, France, 2Department of Biometry, BIOFORTIS SAS, Saint-Herblain, France Background and objectives: The global rise in metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes is largely driven by dietary changes and sedentary lifestyles. Prebiotic dietary fibers may help mitigate this trend by modulating gut microbiota. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS) on glucose homeostasis, body composition and gut microbiota in overweight individuals with prediabetes. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel arms trial, participants with fasting glycemia between 1 and 1.25 g/L and BMI between 23 and 35 kg/m2 received either 20 g/day of scFOS (Actilight® 950P; BeghinMeiji, France) or placebo for 12 weeks. Glucose metabolism, body composition and gut microbiota were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c level, with a hypothesis of superiority, tested using a linear mixed model. Results: Participants (n = 66, 35 scFOS, 31 placebo) had a mean age of 50.6 ± 9.0 years and BMI of 28.2 ± 2.7 kg/m2. Compliance was excellent (> 97%) . No significant treatment effect was observed for glucose metabolism markers, including the primary outcome HbA1c (+0 .055% with scFOS vs +0 .030% with placebo, p = 0.6835) . However, body composition outcomes favored scFOS: fat mass decreased (medians: −0 . 26% vs +0 . 20%, p = 0.0273), lean mass increased (+0 . 27% vs −0 .30%; p = 0.0279) . Body weight remained stable with scFOS while it tended to increase with placebo (estimated means: +0.14 kg vs +0.70 kg; global treatment effect: p = 0.0718) . Among 30 participants analyzed for gut microbiota, α -diversity decreased in the scFOS arm and increased in placebo across three of four indices (p < 0.004), primarily driven by selective microbial shifts. In addition to a significant increase in Bifidobacterium (p = 0.0202), scFOS supplementation enriched Anaerostipes, while reducing Blautia and Ruminococcus2 (p < 0.05) . These changes were accompanied by increased fecal acetate (p = 0.0310) and propionate (p = 0.0062), contrasting with decreases in placebo. Conclusion: Twelve-week scFOS supplementation in overweight prediabetic adults

FAQs

What was the primary endpoint of the study?

The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c level, tested for superiority using a linear mixed model.

Did scFOS improve glucose metabolism in participants with prediabetes?

No significant treatment effect was observed for glucose metabolism markers, including HbA1c.

How did scFOS affect body composition and body weight?

ScFOS led to beneficial body composition changes: fat mass decreased and lean mass increased. Body weight remained stable with scFOS while it tended to increase with placebo.

What changes occurred in gut microbiota after scFOS supplementation?

Among analyzed participants, scFOS decreased α-diversity and was associated with selective microbial shifts, including an increase in Bifidobacterium and changes in other taxa, along with higher fecal acetate and propionate.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia