Affiliations: [a] Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| [b] Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| [c] Research Center for Evidence-Based Medicine (RCEBM), Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| [d] Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Leila Nikniaz, Research Center for Evidence Based Medicine (RCEBM), Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Tel.: +989144006831; E-mail: nikniazleila@gmail.com.
Abstract: INTRODUCTION:Considering that a gluten-free diet (GFD) should be followed for life, investigating its effect on health is very important. In the present study, we systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the studies that evaluated the changes in body mass index (BMI) and lipid profile during a gluten-free diet (GFD) in celiac patients. METHOD:The databases of Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched until June 2018 to select studies investigate the changes in BMI and lipid profile in celiac patients. The standard mean difference (SMD) was calculated. For the heterogeneity analysis, the I-square statistic test was used. RESULTS:Twenty-one articles were included in our systematic review and 16 studies were selected for meta-analysis. The results of meta-analysis showed the statistically significant increase in BMI [SMD: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.35 p: <0.001] and HDL-C (HDL-C) [SMD: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.009, 0.18, p = 0.001] during GFD. However, the effect of GFD on total cholesterol [SMD: 0.17; 95% CI:–0.66, 0.41, p = 0.16], LDL-C [SMD: –0.21; 95% CI:–0.54, 0.10, p = 0.16], and triglyceride [SMD: 0.02; 95% CI:–0.22, 0.25, p = 0.87] was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION:The results of the present meta-analysis showed the positive effect of GFD on BMI and HDL-C. However, more cohort studies in this topic are needed with considering the level of mucosal healing and the effect of confounding factors such as physical activity level, smoking and dietary intakes on the association between GFD diet and cardiovascular risk factors.
Keywords: Celiac disease, gluten-free diet, body mass index, lipid profile
