Impact of reformulated baked goods interventions on cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the impact of reformulated baked goods on cardiometabolic markers. Randomized and non-randomized controlled trials that assessed the impact of reformulated baked goods on cardiometabolic markers were extracted from PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE. A quantitative synthesis using a random effect model was employed for the meta-analysis; otherwise, a narrative synthesis was implemented. Forty-five studies (17 acute and 28 longer trials) were included, and <i>n</i> = 12 studies on fiber-reformulated bread were meta-analyzed. The Meta-analysis of <i>n</i> = 3 acute studies showed that fiber-reformulated bread did not reduce postprandial blood glucose at 120 min after consumption compared to control (MD, 0.63 mmol/L; 95% CI −0.25, 1.51; <i>p</i> = 0.16; <i>I²</i> = 86%). In the long-term studies (<i>n</i> = 9), fiber-reformulated bread intake compared to control reduced total cholesterol (MD, −0.20 mmol/L; 95% CI −0.33, −0.07; <i>p</i> = 0.003; <i>I²</i> = 32%), LDL-C (MD, −0.16 mmol/L; 95% CI −0.27, −0.04; <i>p</i> = 0.01; <i>I²</i> = 50%), glucose (MD, −0.22 mmol/L; 95% CI −0.39, −0.05; <i>p</i> = 0.01; <i>I²</i> = 67%) and insulin (MD, −2.12 µU/mL; 95% CI −3.56, −0.69; <i>p</i> = 0.004; <i>I²</i> = 51%) concentrations. No impact was observed on anthropometric indices, HDL-C, triglycerides, HbA1c, HOMA-IR, or blood pressure. Baked goods effectively incorporated diverse ingredients (mostly fiber) and induced small reductions in cardiometabolic markers.