Findings From the Meta-analysis on Whole-Grain Consumption and Biomarkers of Systemic Inflammation Are Misleading

Abstract

We have with great interest read the recent article by Hajihashemi et al. which systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed a number of published clinical trials about the effect of whole grains on serum levels of hs-CRP (high sensitiviy C-reactive protein), IL-6 (interlukin-6), TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor-alpha). The findings suggested that consumption of whole grains significantly decreased serum levels of hs-CRP and IL-6, but not TNF-alpha, compared with the control group. It is an interesting study, but there are some methodological limitations and missing data that need to be addressed. Therefore, we believe that the conclusions were misleading and further comprehensive meta-analysis is required to explain the effect of whole grain intake on serum concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers.