Studies examining the effect of artichoke on liver enzymes have reported inconsistent results. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of artichoke administration on the liver enzymes. PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases were searched for articles published up to January 2022. Standardized mean difference (Hedges’ g) were analyzed using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis were assessed for the liver enzymes. Pooled analysis of seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suggested that the artichoke administration has an effect on both alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (Hedges’ g, −1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], −1.76 to −0.40; p = 0.002), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (Hedges’ g, −1.02; 95% CI, −1.76 to −0.28; p = 0.007). Greater effects on ALT were detected in trials that lasted ≤8 weeks. Also, greater effects on AST were detected in trials using > 500 mg artichoke. Overall, this meta-analysis demonstrated artichoke supplementation decreased ALT and AST.
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There is a growing body of evidence linking vitamin D and its antiadipogenic activity with body composition. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between vitamin D levels, visceral adiposity index (VAI), and lipid accumulation product index among a group of Iranian people. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 270 Iranian adults. Body composition was measured via bio-impedance analysis. The 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was also measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The VAI and lipid accumulation product index were calculated. Multiple linear and logistic regression after controlling for confounder was used to report the results. Multiple linear regression showed that serum 25(OH)D levels were positively correlated with age (crude: β ± standard error [SE] = 0.23 ± 0.06, p ≤ 0.001; model I: β ± SE = 0.18 ± 0.05, p = 0.002) and percent body fat (crude: β ± SE = 0.10 ± 0.04, p = 0.02). Binary logistic regression analysis showed a higher chance of greater percent body fat and lipid accumulation product index in the crude model (odds ratio [OR], 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13–3.72 for percent body fat and OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.14–3.76 for lipid accumulation product index), which disappeared after adjusting for covariates. Adults with higher vitamin D levels had higher scores of percent body fat and lipid accumulation product index. More longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these results.
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We aimed to examine the association between nutrient patterns and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Iranian adults. In a cross-sectional study of 850 self-certified healthy women and men aged 20–59 years old, dietary data were assessed using three 24-hour recall. Anthropometric measures were done and blood samples were collected to measure serum fasting serum glucose and lipid profile. The MetS was defined using the International Diabetes Federation. Major nutrient patterns were identified using principle competent analysis. In the first nutrient pattern, the individuals in the fifth quintile had a higher intake of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, zinc, iron, saturated fatty acids (SFAs), and protein. In the second nutrient pattern, individuals in the first quintile had lower consumption of zinc, SFAs, vitamin E, α-tocopherol, oleic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids, β-carotene, linolenic acid, and monounsaturated fatty acids, compared to the fifth quintile. Furthermore, in the third nutrient pattern, the individuals in the fifth quintile had a higher intake of potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, calcium, protein, carbohydrate, vitamin C, and folate compared to other quintiles. We identified the second pattern had an indirect association with systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, fasting blood sugar (p < 0.001 for all), and total cholesterol (p = 0.04) when it was controlled for body weight. Our findings showed that nutrient patterns may have an association with MetS components with mediating body weight.
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