The Effect of Palm Oil on Health Outcomes: A Protocol for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses of Controlled Clinical Trials

Author(s):  
Shahab-aldin Akbarian ◽  
Mohammad Mohammadi ◽  
Sara Beigrezaei

Background: It is suggested that palm oil consumption might increase chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease. Previous studies that investigated the effect of palm oil intake on anthropometric measures, blood glucose control, inflammation, and oxidative stress markers have led to inconsistent results. This is while no systematic review and meta-analysis has been performed to summarize the data in this regard. Objectives: The present study describes a protocol for a range of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to examine the effect of palm oil intake on body weight and fat, inflammatory markers, oxidative stress, liver enzymes, blood pressure, and blood glucose control indices. Methods: ISI web of science, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar will be searched using medical subject heading (MeSH) and non-MeSH keywords. Controlled clinical trials will be selected based on predefined eligibility criteria. The intra-study risk of bias will be checked by using the Cochrane collaboration tool. Mean difference (MD) (the difference between mean change values in the intervention group/period and control group/period) and its corresponding standard deviation will be calculated to be used as effect size. A random-effects meta-analysis will be performed to pool the results. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression will be conducted to explore the possible sources of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis will be conducted by removing the studies one-by-one from the overall analyses. Publication bias will be assessed by inspecting funnel plots and asymmetry tests. Conclusion: The results of systematic reviews and meta-analyses might provide helpful data about the effects of palm oil consumption on different aspects of health among adults. The evidence provided by the results of systematic reviews can be useful for dietitians, clinicians, public health policy-makers, and the public.

Author(s):  
Shahab-aldin Akbarian ◽  
Mohammad Mohammadi ◽  
Sara Beigrezaei

Background: It is suggested that palm oil consumption might increase chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease. Previous studies that investigated the effect of palm oil intake on anthropometric measures, blood glucose control, inflammation, and oxidative stress markers have led to inconsistent results. This is while no systematic review and meta-analysis has been conducted to summarize the data in this regard. Objectives: The present study describes a protocol for a range of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to examine the effect of palm oil intake on body weight and fat, inflammatory markers, oxidative stress, liver enzymes, blood pressure, and blood glucose control indices. Methods: ISI web of science, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar will be searched using medical subject heading (MeSH) and non-MeSH keywords. Controlled clinical trials will be selected based on predefined eligibility criteria. The intra-study risk of bias will be checked by using the Cochrane collaboration tool. Mean difference (MD) (the difference between mean change values in the intervention group/period and control group/period) and its corresponding standard deviation will be calculated to be used as effect size. A random-effects meta-analysis will be performed to pool the results. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression will be conducted to explore the possible sources of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis will be conducted by removing the studies one-by-one from the overall analyses. Publication bias will be assessed by inspecting funnel plots and asymmetry tests. Conclusion: The results of systematic reviews and meta-analyses might provide helpful information about the effects of palm oil consumption on different aspects of health among adults. The evidence provided by the results of systematic reviews can be useful for dietitians, clinicians, public health policy-makers, and the public.  


Author(s):  
Mohammad Mohammadi ◽  
Hamed Mohammadi ◽  
Ehsan Ghaedi ◽  
Nahid Ramezani-Jolfaie ◽  
Amin Salehi-Abargouei

Background: Although the results were conflicting, the Paleolithic diet (PD) was proposed to be effective in improvement of metabolic status. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of PD on glycemic markers. Methods: Online databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched up to December 2017 without any restrictions. The weighted mean difference (WMD) was also calculated using random effects model. Results: Eventually, eight good quality studies were included in the present systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled analysis showed that although adherence to the PD led to reduction of fasting blood glucose (FBG) concentrations, it was no statistically significant (WMD = -0.31, 95% CI: -0.70, 0.07, P = 0.11). Moreover, compared with the control diets, the PD consumption did not significantly affect other glycemic markers such as 2-h post-prandial blood glucose (2h PBG), insulin, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Conclusions: Adherence to the PD had no significant effect on the glycemic markers, but reduction was observed in FBG levels. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schlagenhauf ◽  
Yvonne Jockel-Schneider

In the management of intestinal health problems, the targeted use of probiotic microorganisms is a common therapeutic measure with a long-standing tradition. In clinical dentistry however, probiotics-based therapy is still a rather new and developing field, whose usefulness for the control of gingivitis and periodontitis has been questioned by recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews. The purpose of the subsequent descriptive review is to provide an introduction to the concept of probiotic microorganisms and their multifaceted health-promoting interactions with the human host and microbial competitors, followed by a detailed comparison of the results of available controlled clinical trials assessing the use of probiotics in the control of gingival and periodontal inflammations. It aims at contributing to a deeper understanding of the unique capabilities of probiotics to resolve chronic plaque-induced inflammation even in the absence of mechanical plaque control and will discuss how possible misconceptions about the rationale for using probiotics may have led to the present controversies about their usefulness as a therapeutic option.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Atsushi Nakajima ◽  
Ayako Shoji ◽  
Kinya Kokubo ◽  
Ataru Igarashi

Background. In the 2010s, medications with new mechanisms were introduced in Japan for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). A few systematic reviews have compared medications’ relative efficacy, but the reviews included studies on patients from various races, even though the mechanism of CIC is considered to differ between races. The aim of this study was to use a systematic review and network meta-analysis to compare the relative efficacy of these medications in Japanese patients. Methods. We conducted a meta-analysis and report it here according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). We identified studies by searching MEDLINE (via the PubMed interface) and the Cochrane Library and ICHUSHI databases and included randomized clinical trials that compared medications for CIC with placebo in Japanese adults. Two reviewers independently screened and assessed articles, abstracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. We pooled data by random-effects meta-analyses and also performed a Bayesian network meta-analysis to indirectly compare data. Results. The present systematic review and meta-analyses included 1460 patients in 6 randomized clinical trials: 2 on linaclotide, 3 on elobixibat, 2 on lubiprostone, and 1 on lactulose. The results of direct comparisons showed that linaclotide, elobixibat, and lubiprostone were superior to placebo in the change of spontaneous bowel movements (SBMs) within 1 week: linaclotide, 1.95 (95% CI, 1.51-2.39); elobixibat, 5.69 (95% CI, 3.31-8.07); and lubiprostone, 2.41 (95% CI, 0.82-4.01). The Bayesian network meta-analysis showed consistent results. Elobixibat 10 mg was ranked first for the increase in SBMs and complete SBMs within 1 week and the time to first SBM. Lubiprostone 48 μg was ranked first for the proportion of patients with SBM within 24 hours. Conclusion. Our direct and indirect meta-analyses revealed that the new CIC medications available in Japan have equal efficacy but that elobixibat and lubiprostone are highly likely to be more efficacious.


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