Beneficial effects of folic acid on inflammatory markers in the patients with metabolic syndrome: Meta-analysis and meta-regression of data from 511 participants in 10 randomized controlled trials

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#folic-acid #metabolic-syndrome #humans #randomized-controlled-trials-as-topic #biomarkers

Beneficial effects of folic acid on inflammatory markers in the patients with metabolic syndrome: Meta-analysis and meta-regression of data from 511 participants in 10 randomized controlled trials

Jiang et al., 2024 | Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr | Meta Analysis

Citation

Jiang Zhonghui, Qu Hua, ... Gao Zhuye. Beneficial effects of folic acid on inflammatory markers in the patients with metabolic syndrome: Meta-analysis and meta-regression of data from 511 participants in 10 randomized controlled trials. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2024;64(16):5450-5461. doi:10.1080/10408398.2022.2154743

Abstract

Previous clinical studies on the anti-inflammatory effects of folic acid (FA) in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) have shown controversial results. This study aimed to synthesize the evidence on the effect of FA on inflammatory marker levels in MetS patients. We screened PubMed, Embase, Medline, and the Cochrane Library (from inception to March 2022) to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). DerSimonian and Laird random effects were used to estimate the pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Funnel plot, Egger's test, and the Begg-Mazumdar correlation test was used to assess publication bias. Subgroup analysis, meta-regression and sensitivity analysis were performed to find out possible sources of between-study heterogeneity. Ten RCTs with a total of 511 participants were included. The analysis showed that FA reduced high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (WMD, -0.94; 95% CI, -1.56 to -0.32; P = 0.00), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (WMD, -0.39; 95% CI, -0.51 to -0.28; P = 0.00), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) (WMD, -1.28; 95% CI, -1.88 to -0.68; P = 0.00), but did not decrease the C-reactive protein (CRP) (WMD, 0.10; 95% CI, -0.13 to 0.33; P = 0.38). Sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, and meta-regression showed that the effect sizes remained stable. Our findings suggest that FA supplementation could reduce inflammatory markers, such as hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α in patients with MetS. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021223843).

Key Findings

This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021223843).

Outcomes Measured

  • C-reactive protein
  • inflammatory markers

Population

Field Value
Population metabolic syndrome
Sample Size 511
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Folic Acid
  • Metabolic Syndrome
  • Humans
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Biomarkers
  • C-Reactive Protein
  • Interleukin-6
  • Inflammation
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Dietary Supplements

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: folate

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09