title: Effect of Flaxseed Intervention on Inflammatory Marker C-Reactive Protein: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
abstract: Functional food-flaxseed and its derivatives (flaxseed oil or lignans) are beneficial for human health, possibly because of their anti-inflammatory effects. C-reactive protein (CRP), a sensitive marker of inflammation was chosen to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of flaxseed. We searched randomized controlled trials from PubMed and the Cochrane Library in October 2015 and conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of flaxseed and its derivatives on CRP. The mean differences (net change) in CRP (mg/L) concentrations were pooled with a random- or a fixed-effects model depending on the results of heterogeneity tests. Overall, flaxseed interventions had no effects on reduction of CRP (p = 0.428). The null effects were consistent in the subgroup analysis with multiple studies and population characteristics. Significant heterogeneity was observed in most of the analyses. Meta-regression identified baseline body mass index (BMI) as a significant source of heterogeneity (P-interaction = 0.032), with a significant reduction in CRP of 0.83 mg/L (95% confidence interval -1.34 to -0.31; p = 0.002) among subjects with a BMI of ≥30 kg/m². In conclusion, our meta-analysis did not find sufficient evidence that flaxseed and its derivatives have a beneficial effect on reducing circulating CRP. However, they may significantly reduce CRP in obese populations.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Dushu Lake Higher Education Town, Suzhou 215123, China. 15850177665@163.com.|Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, 188 Shizi street, Suzhou 215006, China. 15850177665@163.com.
authors.forename: Guan-Yu
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Dushu Lake Higher Education Town, Suzhou 215123, China. chen20154232027@126.com.|Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, 188 Shizi street, Suzhou 215006, China. chen20154232027@126.com.
authors.forename: Chun-Yang
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Dushu Lake Higher Education Town, Suzhou 215123, China. lsguorong@126.com.
authors.forename: Guo-Chong
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, 188 Shizi street, Suzhou 215006, China. 15312172967@163.com.
authors.forename: Wei-Guo
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan 430030, China. panan@hust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: An
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Dushu Lake Higher Education Town, Suzhou 215123, China. chwpan@suda.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chen-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Dushu Lake Higher Education Town, Suzhou 215123, China. yhzhang@suda.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yong-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Dushu Lake Higher Education Town, Suzhou 215123, China. qinliqiang@suda.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Li-Qiang
authors.initials: LQ
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Dushu Lake Higher Education Town, Suzhou 215123, China. chenlihua@suda.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Li-Hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D019597:Flax / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000178:diet therapy*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood*; D017705:Lignans / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D008043:Linseed Oil / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D012639:Seeds / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D017705:Lignans; D008043:Linseed Oil; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: C-reactive protein; flaxseed; meta-analysis; randomized controlled trials