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Effect of Citrullus colocynthis on glycemic factors and lipid profile in type II diabetic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Abstract

Purpose

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we investigated the effect and side effects of Citrullus colocynthis on glycemic factors and lipid profile in diabetic patients.

Methods

We systematically searched English and Persian databases from inception till August 2021 using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the quality of studies. The standardized mean differences were pooled using fixed-effect models, and statistical heterogeneity was assessed using the I squared (I²) index.

Results

Of the 321 articles searched in the databases, 136 related articles were screened, 14 relevant full-text articles were assessed for eligibility; finally, four articles were included in the study, three articles were entered into the meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that Citrullus colocynthis does not have a significant effect on fasting blood sugar (FBS), hemoglobin A1c (HBA1c), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol, and triglyceride indices but increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (Mean Difference: 5.76; 95% CI: 1.69 to 9.84; P = 0.006; I2 = 0%).

Conclusions

The meta-analysis results showed that Citrullus colocynthis has no significant effect on glycemic and metabolic indices of diabetes - except HDL. Due to the relatively low quality and the small number of included trials, conducting further large scale well-designed randomized clinical trials to determine the effect of Citrullus colocynthis on glycemic and metabolic indices seems essential.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Student Research Committee, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Ali Jafarizadeh, Seyed Amin Raeisi & Nafiseh Ghassab-Abdollahi

  2. Department of Health Education and Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Nafiseh Ghassab-Abdollahi

  3. Translational Type 1 Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Research, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark

    Reza Yarani

  4. Research Center for Integrative Medicine in Aging, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Mostafa Araj-Khodaei

  5. Department of Persian Medicine, Faculty of traditional medicine,, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Mostafa Araj-Khodaei

  6. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 51745-347, Shariati Street, 513897977, Tabriz, Iran

    Mojgan Mirghafourvand

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  1. Ali Jafarizadeh
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Correspondence to Mojgan Mirghafourvand.

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Jafarizadeh, A., Raeisi, S.A., Ghassab-Abdollahi, N. et al. Effect of Citrullus colocynthis on glycemic factors and lipid profile in type II diabetic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Diabetes Metab Disord 21, 1785–1795 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-022-01045-9

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