The effect of crocin supplementation on lipid concentrations and fasting blood glucose: A systematic review and meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials

• Published in: Complementary therapies in medicine 2020-08, Vol.52, p.102500-102500, Article 102500
• Main Authors: naserizadeh, Seyed kasra, Taherifard, Mohammad Hassan, Shekari, Mahdi, Mesrkanlou, Hossein Amarpoor, Asbaghi, Omid, Nazarian, Behzad, Khosroshahi, Mohammad Zeinali, Heydarpour, Fatemeh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidants; Bias; Blood; Cardiovascular disease; Cholesterol; Clinical trials; Crocin; Diabetes; Fasting; Fasting blood glucose; Glucose; High density lipoprotein; Hyperglycemia; Insulin resistance; Lipid profile; Lipids; Low density lipoprotein; Meta-analysis; Meta-regression; Metabolic disorders; Metabolic syndrome; Oxidative stress; Regression analysis; Schizophrenia; Standard deviation; Supplements; Systematic review; Triglycerides
• ISSN: 0965-2299; 1873-6963
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102500

•The pooled of 9 effect sizes from 8 studies showed that Crocin intake improves.•Total cholesterol levels (WMD: −4.64 mg/l, 95% CI,−8.19, −1.09; p = 0.010).•The pooled of 9 effect sizes from 8 studies showed that Crocin intake improves fasting plasma glucose levels (WMD: −6.52 mg/l, 95% CI, −11.96, −1.08; p = 0.019). This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of crocin supplementation on fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipid profile levels in clinical trial studies. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases for clinical trials published from the beginning up to November 2019. Of the 547 papers identified from all searched databases, eight eligible studies with nine effect sizes have all needed criteria for inclusion in this meta-analysis. Results of the pooled random-effect size analysis showed just a significant decreasing effect of crocin supplementation on FBG (WMD: -6.52 mg/l, 95 % CI, -11.96, -1.08; p = 0.019) and TC (WMD: -4.64 mg/l, 95 % CI, -8.19, -1.09; p = 0.010). Crocin supplements did not have any significant effect on serum TG (p = 0.144) levels, LDL-C (p = 0.161), and HDL-C (p = 0.872) levels. Results showed that crocin supplementation could beneficially have effect on TG level only when trial duration less than 12 weeks and LDL-C levels in trials that used high dose intervention and trials that conducted on subjects with metabolic disorders. However, crocin supplementation did not significantly change FBG in trials that used low dose intervention. Meta-regression analysis indicated a linear relationship between the duration of intervention and significant change in FBG (p = 0.019). Results of this systematic review and meta-analysis study have shown that crocin supplementation can decrease significantly FBS and TC without any beneficial effects on TG, LDL-C, and HDL-C levels.