Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammation: A Critical Review of In Vitro and Clinical Approaches for Benefit Assessment of Plant Food Supplements

Table 1

Inflammatory parameters measured in metabolic syndrome.

Method^1	Botanical or botanical derivatives used	No. of participants and length of treatment	Parameters measured	Results	Reference
Double-blind randomized controlled cross-over trial	Olive oil (Olea europaea L.)	20 (6-week washout period plus 4-h study session)	Expression of inflammatory genes (CCL3, CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCR4, IL-1β, IL-6, and OSM	Expression of inflammatory genes was reduced	Camargo et al., 2010 [15]
Randomized double-blind controlled trials	ProAlgaZyme (freshwater algae infusion)	60 (10 weeks)	hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α	Significant reduction of all parameters	Oben et al., 2007 [16]
Single-blind randomized controlled trial	Plant sterol margarines (30 g/day)	53 (5 weeks)	CRP, IL-6, CD 40 ligand (CD40L), and E-selectin	No changes	Gagliardi et al., 2010 [17]
Randomized open controlled cross-over trials	Soy nut/soy proteins	482 (8 weeks)	Serum endothelin-1, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, E-selectin, IL-2, IL-6, IL-18, TNF-α, SAA, and CRP	Reduction of CRP for soy protein, E-selectin, TNF-α, IL-18, and CRP for soy nuts	Azadbakht et al., 2007 [18]
Randomized open controlled clinical trials	Berries and derivatives*	61 (20 weeks)	TNF-α, ICAM, VCAM, E-selectin, and hs-CRP	No significant differences	Lehtonen et al., 2010 [19]
Open nonrandomized noncontrolled clinical trials	Freeze-dried strawberry extract	35 (4 weeks)	Malondialdehyde (MDA), hs-CRP, and adiponectin	No significant differences	Basu et al., 2009 [20]
Cross-sectional studies	Fruit food group**; Vegetable fruit group***	486 (1 year)	CRP	Reduction of CRP for both groups	Esmaillzadeh et al., 2006 [21]

*Participants consumed lingonberry, bilberry, black currant, sea buckthorn as such or as derivatives (juice, oil, and powder).
**Pears, apricots, cherries, apples, raisins or grapes, bananas, cantaloupe, watermelon, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, tangerines, mulberry, plums, persimmons, pomegranates, lemons, pineapples, fresh figs, and date.
***Vegetable fruit group: cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, mixed vegetables, eggplant, celery, green peas, green beans, green pepper, turnip, corn, squash, mushrooms, and onions.
¹Clinical studies used to assess inflammatory parameters are listed from the best to the worst method applied.