Fermented Dairy Products, Probiotic Supplementation, and Cardiometabolic Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials in adults of diverse ages and sexes. Observational cohorts came from Europe, the United States, and Asia, and the randomized trials enrolled adults who were overweight or obese or had cardiometabolic conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, or metabolic syndrome.

This systematic review evaluated probiotic supplementation delivered in a dairy matrix, and compared dairy-matrix delivery with capsule or powder probiotic forms across randomized trials. In one included RCT arm, adults received yogurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus La5, Bifidobacterium BB12, and L. DN001 (10^8) together with a low-calorie diet for 8 weeks.

Overall, fermented dairy consumption was associated with lower cardiovascular risk and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in the general population. Probiotic supplementation delivered in a dairy matrix showed beneficial effects on lipid profiles and anthropometric measures, while probiotic capsules or powders showed benefits on diabetic biomarkers and anthropometric outcomes. The authors concluded that the direction of effect was favorable, but results varied across studies because of differences in probiotic strains, doses, durations, and delivery matrices.

The evidence base was heterogeneous, with substantial variation in probiotic strains, doses, intervention lengths, delivery matrices, and outcome measures. The review combined observational cohorts and randomized trials, which limits direct comparability and increases indirectness. Some included interventions were short and small, so precision and generalizability may be limited.