Objective To systematically review the clinical trials examining the effects of inulin-type fructans on 3 major atherosclerosis associated blood lipid profiles, so as to provide references on dietary strategy for atherosclerosis prevention. Methods Relevant literatures were comprehensively searched in PubMed, Embase, CNKI, CBM, VIP, and Wanfang Databases. Eligible studies were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Then the quality evaluation (JADAD scale) and data extraction were conducted. Meta-analysis and publication bias were performed using software Stata 11.0. Results Twenty-two studies were finally included in this study, involving a total of 822 cases, with 413 in the treatment group and 409 in the control group. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the pooled WMD (95% confidence interval) of inulin-type frutans' effect on HDL-C, TG, and LDL-C were 0.05 (0.01,0.08) mmol/L, -0.08 (－0.14,－0.01) mmol/L and -0.16 (－0.25,－0.06) mmol/L, respectively. Subgroup analysis results revealed that TG level decreased dramatically by 0.17 mmol/L in the dyslipidemia group (P<0.05). In the diabetes group, a noticeable increment of 0.15 mmol/L was found for HDL-C and a reduction of 0.30 mmol/L was found for TG (P<0.05). In addition, no significant changes were found for other parameters of the blood lipids. Conclusion Daily intake of proper amount of inulin-type fructans can increase serum HDL-C level and decrease TG and LDL-C levels, which is especially beneficial for dyslipidemia and diabetic patients.