Abstract
Background:
The beneficial effects of folate have been observed under different conditions, but the available evidence on inflammation and reduction of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is limited. The study aimed to explore the effects of folate on inflammation and homocysteine amongst individuals with T2DM.
Methods:
PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were used to search for evidence. A random-effect model meta-analysis through Review Manager (version 5.4) and metaHun was performed. Results were reported as standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals graphically using forest and funnel plots.
Results:
Data from 9 trials with 426 patients living with T2DM were analyzed. Folic acid supplementation significantly revealed a large effect size on homocysteine levels compared to placebo, SMD = -1.53, 95%CI (-2.14,-0.93), p < 0.05. Additionally, we observed a medium marginal effect size on C-reactive protein (SMD = -0.68, 95%CI (-1.34, -0.01), p = 0.05). However, no significant effect on tumor necrosis factor-α (SMD = -0.86, 95%CI (-2.65, 0.93), p = 0.34), and interleukin-6 (SMD = -0.04, 95%CI (-1.08, 1.01), p = 0.95) was observed.
Conclusion:
Evidence analyzed in this study suggests that folic acid supplementation in T2DM reduces homocysteine and may mitigate CVDs. However, its effect on inflammation is inconclusive.
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