Researchers have been making significant efforts to reveal the relationships between the gut microbiota and diabetes mellitus. As a special bacterial population in the intestinal tract, probiotics have unique advantages in delaying and controlling the occurrence of diabetes. In this article, the mechanisms of action and superiorities of probiotics in the prevention and control of diabetes are reviewed and some future development trends are also predicted.

Leuconostoc mesenteroides consists of four subspecies, L. mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides, L. mesenteroides subsp. dextranicum, L. mesenteroides subsp. suionicum and L. mesenteroides subsp. cremoris. Among these subspecies, only L. mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroide is currently listed for use as a food additive by China’ Ministry of Health and the FDA. The subspecies of L. mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroide cannot be identified simply by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Therefore, the present study investigated subspecies identification of L. mesenteroides BD1710 using the established primers based on 16S–23S rRNA gene intergenic spacer region sequence similarity and three specific housekeeping genes. The results confirmed the strain to belong to L. mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides.