Table 2 Relationship between chitosan and glucose based on subgroup analysis
Variable | Chitosan group (n)/Control group (n) | No. of treatment arms | Pooled SMD(mmol/L) | 95% CI | Z-value | P-value | I-squared (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
subgroups | |||||||
 Dose of chitosan (g/d) | |||||||
  < 1.6 | 137/135 | 4 | −0.29 | −0.51 - -0.07 | 2.62 | 0.009 | 86.60 |
  1.6–3 | 336/332 | 8 | −0.42 | − 0.57 - -0.26 | 5.28 | 0.000 | 74.20 |
  ≥3 | 151/151 | 2 | −0.16 | −0.39- 0.06 | 1.40 | 0.160 | 0.00 |
 Intervention duration (weeks) | |||||||
  > 13 | 315/310 | 5 | −0.48 | −0.64 - -0.32 | 5.90 | 0.000 | 81.20 |
  ≤ 13 | 341/343 | 9 | −0.18 | −0.33 - -0.03 | 2.35 | 0.019 | 67.40 |
 Study design | |||||||
  Parallel | 460/460 | 10 | −0.35 | −0.48 - -0.22 | 5.20 | 0.000 | 70.10 |
  Crossover | 196/193 | 4 | −0.27 | −0.47 - -0.06 | 2.58 | 0.010 | 86.60 |
 Age | |||||||
  < 50 | 516/507 | 9 | −0.34 | −0.48 - -0.02 | 2.10 | 0.036 | 81.80 |
  ≥ 50 | 140/146 | 4 | −0.25 | −0.47 - -0.22 | 5.42 | 0.000 | 0.70 |
 Study population | |||||||
  Diabetes | 94/95 | 3 | −0.66 | −0.96 - -0.36 | 4.29 | 0.000 | 87.40 |
  Overweight/Obese | 320/314 | 6 | −0.39 | −0.55 - -0.24 | 4.86 | 0.000 | 80.00 |
  Dyslipidemia | 242/244 | 5 | −0.12 | − 0.30 - 0.06 | 1.31 | 0.189 | 0.00 |