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. 2022 Apr 7;116(2):335–361. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac085

TABLE 11.

GRADE summary of results for butyrate compared to placebo or usual treatment for patients with T2D1

Anticipated absolute effects2 (95% CI)
Outcomes Risk with placebo or usual treatment Risk with butyrate Relative effect (95% CI) Number of participants (studies) Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) Comments
Fasting blood glucose MD = −1.20 (−2.91 to 0.51) 30 (1 RCT) 2 Very low3 The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of butyrate on fasting blood glucose, as there is only 1 study on chronic butyrate that fit our criteria
Fasting insulin MD = 0.9 (0.57–1.31) 30 (1 RCT) 2 Very low3 The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of butyrate on fasting insulin, as there was only 1 study investigating butyrate that fit our criteria
1

In the GRADE working group grades of evidence, very low certainty indicates we have very little confidence in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect. Abbreviations: GRADE, Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation; MD, mean difference; RCT, randomized controlled trial; T2D, type 2 diabetes.

2

The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).

3

The risk of bias was high due to a lack of blinding, incomplete accounting of patients and outcome events, and selective outcome reporting. Publication bias is suspected, as there is only 1 study investigating butyrate, which demonstrates butyrate has a significant effect.