Peppermint as a promising treatment agent in inflammatory conditions: A comprehensive systematic review of literature.

Inflammation, a type of the body's defense against injury or infection, causes many chronic disorders including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Therefore, discovering natural compounds with numerous biological activities for the management of inflammation is highly recommended. Out of natural compounds, peppermint and its main component, menthol, has been suggested to possess antiinflammatory potential. Four databases including Web of Sciences, PubMed, Scopus, and Embase were searched to identify articles about peppermint and its antiinflammatory effects up to March 2023. Out of 3805 records screened, 14 articles met the study criteria. The evidence reviewed here proposed peppermint as an antiinflammatory agent. Peppermint may suppress inflammation by activating the AMP-activated protein kinase/unc-51 like kinase 1/nuclear factor-E2 associated factor 2 autophagy pathway, downregulating extracellular signal-regulated kinase-nuclear factor kappa B and mitogen activated protein kinases pathways, attenuating oxidative stress, suppressing the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and nitric oxide, and inducing the production of antiinflammatory prostaglandins. Due to the promising antiinflammatory effects of peppermint and the lack of human studies in this regard, future randomized clinical trials examining the effects of peppermint on inflammation and its related maladies are warranted.

Does the Grape Products Intake has an Effect on Body Weight in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

INTRODUCTION: There is a growing interest in the considerable benefits of grape products intake, as some studies have indicated that they may improve cardiometabolic risk factors. However, the widespread impact of grape products on the anthropometric indices is not fully resolved. METHOD: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the effects of grape products intake on anthropometric indices in adults. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) examining the effects of grape products intake on anthropometric indices, published up to December 2021, were identified through PubMed, SCOPUS, and ISI Web of Science databases. 30 studies with 35 effect sizes, including 1284 participants (708 cases and 576 controls), were included and analyzed using a random-effects model to calculate weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULT: The outcomes have revealed grape products intake to significantly decrease body weight (p = 0.001) and body mass index (p = 0.004) in obese participants, and also, a greater effect was observed when grape seed extract was used. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that grape products intake may help to decrease body weight in obese participants. Future large RCTs with longer duration and obese populations are needed to expand our findings.

The effects of purslane consumption on lipid profile and C-reactive protein: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Earlier investigations into the impact of purslane, Portulaca oleracea, on lipid profile and C-reactive protein (CRP) produced contradictory findings. The effect of purslane consumption on lipid profiles and CRP was assessed in this comprehensive review and meta-analysis. We conducted a thorough literature search in online databases, including PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane library, and ISI Web of Science to find relevant randomized controlled trials up to June 2023. By incorporating 14 effect sizes from 13 RCTs, we were able to show that purslane consumption significantly decreases serum triglyceride (TG) (WMD: -16.72, 95% CI: -22.49, -10.96 mg/dL, p < .001), total cholesterol (TC) (WMD: -9.97, 95% CI: -19.86, -0.07 mg/dL, p = .048), and CRP (WMD: -1.22, 95% CI: -1.63, -0.80 mg/L, p < .001) levels in patients compared to the control group. In addition, purslane consumption significantly increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) (WMD: 4.09, 95% CI: 1.77, 6.41 mg/dL, p = .001) levels. However, purslane consumption did not affect low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels. According to a suggested optimal dosage, purslane consumption is considered to be safe up to 30 g/day. Purslane consumption can significantly improve cardiovascular health by improving lipid profile and inflammation status.

The effects of purslane consumption on glycemic control and oxidative stress: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is a herbal remedy with wide range of pharmaceutic properties. Although the beneficial effect of purslane on the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has been shown, there is an inconsistency among the results of previous studies. Therefore, this study is aimed at conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of purslane on glycemic profile and oxidative stress markers. A systematic search was performed in the Scopus, Web of science, PubMed and the Cochrane Library to find articles related to the effect of the purslane on Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), insulin resistance, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) up to September 2022. Among the 611 initial studies that were identified from searching electronic databases, 16 Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) involving 1122 participants (557 cases and 565 controls) were included for data analysis. The results of random-effects modeling demonstrated that purslane consumption significantly reduced FBS (p < .001), MDA (p < .001) and increased TAC (p < .001). However, purslane consumption did not affect HbA1c (p < .109), fasting insulin (p = .298) and HOMA-IR (p = .382). Meta-analyses were performed using both the random- and fixed-effects model where appropriate, and I 2 index was used to evaluate the heterogeneity. This meta-analysis study suggests that purslane has beneficial effects on oxidative stress markers and glycemic parameter. Therefore, it may be a promising adjuvant therapy in T2DM because of its benefits and negligible adverse effects.