Effects of Flaxseed Interventions on Circulating Inflammatory Biomarkers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Open accessAbstract
There have been various clinical studies on the effect of flaxseed-derived products on circulating inflammatory biomarkers, but the findings from these are contradictory. The aim of the present study was to clarify any association. A comprehensive literature search was conducted from inception to May 2018. From the eligible trials, 32 articles describing studies conducted on adults aged 18-70 y were selected for the meta-analysis. Meta-analyses using the random-effects model were performed to investigate the data and results showed significant effects of flaxseed intake on circulating high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) [weighted mean difference (WMD) = -0.75; 95% CI: -1.19, -0.30; P < 0.001] and TNFα (WMD = -0.38; 95% CI: -0.75,-0.01; P = 0.04). However, no significant changes were found in IL6 concentration (WMD = -0.24; 95% CI: -0.70, 0.21; P = 0.28) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (WMD = -0.34; 95% CI:-0.89, 0.20; P = 0.22). Moreover, by eliminating 1 of the studies from the sensitivity analysis, changes in IL6 concentration were significant (WMD = -0.44; 95% CI: -0.81, -0.08). The changes in inflammatory biomarkers were dependent on study design (parallel or crossover), supplement type (flaxseed, flaxseed oil, or lignan), study quality (high or low), and participants' age and BMI. According to this meta-analysis, flaxseed significantly reduced circulating concentrations of hs-CRP and TNFα, but did not affect IL6 and CRP. Further research is needed to examine the effect of different doses and long-term benefits of flaxseed and its derivatives on inflammatory factors.
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Previous meta-analyses assessing the effects of flaxseed and flaxseed-derived products on inflammatory cytokines did not reach consistent conclusions.
“Previous meta-analysis assessed the effects of flaxseed and flaxseed-derived products (flaxseed oil or lignans) on inflammatory cytokines, did not reach consistent conclusions [15, 80, 81].”
From Comparisons of the effects of different flaxseed products consumption on lipid profiles, inflammatory cytokines and anthropometric indices in patients with dyslipidemia related diseases: systematic review and a dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (2021) · cites this paper as [15]
The Abstract (page unavailable) identifies this paper as a meta-analysis of flaxseed and its derivatives and reports differing results across inflammatory biomarkers. It says clinical studies had contradictory findings, but does not establish that previous meta-analyses reached inconsistent conclusions; the Discussion (page unavailable) calls this the first comprehensive meta-analysis on the topic. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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- Authors
- Rahimlou, M., Jahromi, N. B., Hasanyani, N., & Ahmadi, A. R.
- Affiliations
- Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (IR)
- Venue
- Advances in Nutrition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-11
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1108-1119
- ISSN
- 2156-5376 (ISSN-L)
- 2161-8313
- PMC
- PMC6855939
- OpenAlex
- W2945895890
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 71
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 7
- FWCI
- 1.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Advances in Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Biochemistry › Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Food composition and properties
- Keywords
- flaxseed, linseed oil, lignans, inflammatory markers, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, C-reactive protein, TNF-α, interleukin-6, anti-inflammatory activity, dietary supplementation
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, C-Reactive Protein, Female, Humans, Inflammation, Lignin, Linseed Oil, Male, Middle Aged, Seeds, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, Interleukin-6, Dietary Supplements, Flax, Young Adult
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