The effect of psyllium consumption on blood pressure: Systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Based on available evidence, psyllium has been found to play a role in preventing and improving hypertension. In light of this, the objective of this investigation is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of psyllium intake on blood pressure. In order to identify suitable publications, we conduct searches using Scopus, ISI Web of Science (WOS), and PubMed, and from 15 March 2022 to 15 July 2022. This study aims to evaluate the impact of psyllium consumption on blood pressure in adults through randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We used the fixed-effects model which are expressed as weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95 confidence intervals (CI). In this article, 14 RCT studies and 802 participants were included. Psyllium consumption significantly decreases systolic blood pressure (SBP): (weighted mean difference WMD: -2.24; 95% CI: -3.13, -1.35; p < .05), and non-significantly increases diastolic blood pressure (DBP): (WMD: 0.04; 95% CI: -0.52, 0.61; p > .05). Psyllium dosage and duration of consumption had a remarkable linear effect on SBP and DBP. Results showed a significant decrease in SBP and a non-significant increase in DBP following psyllium consumption.