Effects of Purslane Supplementation on Blood Lipid Profile: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Blood lipid profiles are known as one of the most important factors in health disorders such as obesity and diabetes, which mostly end in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as coronary heart disease (CHD). Purslane, as an edible herbal plant has shown to have beneficial components for dyslipidemia treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of purslane supplementation on blood lipid profiles in the adult population. Methods: The terms Portulaca, Portulaca, Portulaca oleracea, and Purslane together with lipid profile ingredients including triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were searched in the following databases until 30 October 2020: PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Science Direct, and SID. A meta-analysis was conducted with eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on 444 patients using the STATA software version 14. Results: Eight eligible studies on 444 patients were identified for the present study. The purslane supplementation caused significant reduction in TG (-18.55 mg/dL, 95% CI [-31.712, -5.388]), TC (-8.43 mg/dL; 95% CI [-14.99, -1.87]), and LDL-C (-6.45 mg/dL, 95% CI [-11.13, -1.77]); however, no significant effect was observed on HDL-C (1.28 mg/dL, 95% CI [-0.56, 2.93], P = 0.170). Conclusion: Our results suggested that purslane supplementation could reduce TG, TC, and LDL-C. However, no significant effect was observed on HDL-C.