Background & objective Effects of walnut intake on anthropometric measurements have been inconsistent among clinical studies. selleck chemicals Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to evaluate and quantify the effects of walnut intake on anthropometric characteristics. Methods We carried out a systematic search of all available RCTs up to June 2019 in the following electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Pooled weight mean difference (WMD) of the included studies was estimated using random-effects model. Results A total of 27 articles were included in this meta-analysis, with walnuts dosage ranging from 15 to 108 g/d for 2 wk to 2 y. Overall, interventions with walnut intake did not alter waist circumference (WC) (WMD -0.193 cm, 95 % CI -1.03, 0.64, p = 0.651), body weight (BW) (0.083 kg, 95 % CI -0.032, 0.198, p = 0.159), body mass index (BMI) (WMD -0.40 kg/m,295 % CI -0.244, 0.164, p = 0.703), and fat mass (FM) (WMD 0.28 %, 95 % CI -0.49, 1.06, p = 0.476). Following dose-response evaluation, reduced BW (Coef.= -1.62, p = 0.001), BMI (Coef.= -1.24, p = 0.041) and WC (Coef.= -5.39, p = 0.038) were significantly observed through walnut intake up to 35 g/day. However, the number of studies can be limited as to the individual analysis of the measures through the dose-response fashion. Conclusions Overall, results from this meta-analysis suggest that interventions with walnut intake does not alter BW, BMI, FM, and WC. To date, there is no discernible evidence to support walnut intake for improving anthropometric indicators of weight loss.Objective The purpose of this up-to-date comprehensive systematic review was to evaluate and summarize all research studies in the field in order to clarify the magnitude of Nigella sativa (N. sativa) effects on the management of Diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications. Methods A systematic review was conducted in a Cochrane style and in accordance PRISMA checklist using the published studies in PubMed/MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and EMBASE databases that were searched up to January 2019. Abstracts that met PICO criteria for qualitative studies underwent dual review for data extraction to evaluate study quality and details. Results Dietary supplementation with N. sativa preparations can improve various secondary complications of diabetic patients. N. sativa preparations possess antidiabetic, hypoglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, antihypertensive, and anti-obesity effects. Beneficial effects of N. sativa preparations include the restoration of the antioxidant defense systems, the increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes, the decrease of inflammatory biomarkers, the suppression of the production pro-inflammatory mediators, improvement of endothelial dysfunction, and hepatic, kidney, heart and immune system functions. They have key roles in managing diabetes-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in diabetic patients. Conclusion N. sativa preparations have key roles in herbal medicine as an adjuvant in the treatment and management of patients with DM and its complications. Moreover, the beneficial effects of N. sativa preparations were differently based on dosage forms, active ingredients, and duration of intervention. The best dosage to improve glycemic indices and lipid and lipoprotein profiles is 2 g daily powdered N. sativa for at least 12 weeks.Background Dyslipidemia and hypertension are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some studies have suggested that the consumption of nuts may reduce CVD risk. Objective The present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the efficacy of cashew nut consumption on lipid profile and blood pressure. Methods PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were systematically searched to identify randomized control trials (RCTs) examining the effects of cashew nut intake on serum triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), serum total cholesterol (TC), systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) until 15 November 2019. A random-effects model was used to pool weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI). Potential publication bias was assessed using Egger's test. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the impact of each individual study on the pooled results. Results A meta-analysis on 392 participants showed that cashew nut consumption had no significant effects on lipid profile and DBP. However, there was a significant reduction in SBP (WMD = -3.39, 95 % CI = [-6.13, -0.65], P = 0.01, I2 = 0.0 %) in the group receiving cashew nut compared to the controls. There was no significant publication bias in the meta-analysis. A sensitivity analysis showed that omitting each study did not change the significance of results. Conclusion This meta-analysis demonstrated that cashew nut consumption might reduce SBP but has no effects on lipid profile and DBP.Objective Recent studies have found that garlic supplementation can improve antioxidant status, however, there is no definitive consensus on this context. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of garlic supplementation on oxidative stress markers. Setting We searched titles, abstracts, and keywords of relevant articles indexed in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases up to November 2019 to identify eligible RCT studies. To compare the effects of garlic with placebo, weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were pooled based on the random-effects model. Quality assessment was performed using a Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. Results Overall, 7 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 317 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Based on the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool, five studies were considered as good quality and two studies were fair. We found that garlic supplementation significantly increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (WMD =11.03 mmol/L; 95 % CI 4.78, 17.28 mmol/L; P less then 0.001) and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (WMD = -1.88 mmol/L; 95 % CI -3.30, -0.46 mmol/L; P = 0.01) compared with the control group. Conclusion In summary, the current meta-analysis indicated that garlic supplementation might improve oxidative stress markers. However, these findings are incomplete due to the paucity of studies, and further well-designed clinical trials are needed in this field to confirm the effect of garlic supplement on oxidative stress markers.