Objective To evaluate the effects of saxagliptin on β cell function of type 2 diabetic patients. Methods The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CBM, VIP, and CNKI were searched from their establishment to November, 2011, for relevant randomized controlled trials on the effects of saxagliptin on β cell function in type 2 diabetic patients. Language was limited to Chinese and English only. Two reviewers independently screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted the data, and evaluated and cross-checked the methodological quality. Then meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.0 software. Results Five RCTs were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that: HOMA-B was significantly increased in the saxagliptin (or saxagliptin plus routine treatment) 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg groups (MD=8.03, 95%CI 4.57 to 11.48, Plt;0.000 01; MD=7.50, 95%CI 4.27 to 10.73, Plt;0.000 01; MD=17.45, 95%CI 13.93 to 20.97, Plt;0.000 01); HOMA-IR was similar between saxagliptin 2.5 or 10 mg group, and control group (MD= –0.05, 95%CI –0.18 to 0.08, P=0.47; MD= –0.18, 95%CI –0.60 to 0.24, P=0.4). Conclusion Current evidence shows that saxagliptin is effective in improving β cell function and insulin resistance. Due to short follow-up and small sample size, this conclusion has to be further proved by more high-quality RCTs.