TABLE 2.
Study characteristics of included studies
| First author, date, and location | Included studies (n) | Participants (n) and health condition | Age (y) and sex | Intervention (Range and mean of dose and duration) | Results | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milajerdi A (2019) [34] Iran |
6 | 333 CKD |
48.6 M/F |
20–50,000 IU/d (14,590.95 IU/d) 3–16 wk (10.5 wk) |
TG S ↓ TC S ↓ LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 6/6 High |
| Jin B (2020) [29] China |
9 | 437 PCOS |
26.28 F |
2500–12,000 IU/d (5507.89 IU/d) 8-24 wk (11.11 wk) |
TG S ↓ TC S ↓ LDL-C S ↓ HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 8/9 High |
| Wang H (2012) [39] China |
9 | 1188 Healthy, Obesity, and Diabetes |
51.81 M/F |
20–8571 IU/d (2753.13 IU/d) 6–144 wk (57.25 wk) |
TG NS TC NS LDL-C S ↓ HDL-C NS |
Yes (Jadad) 7/9 High |
| Bahrami LS (2020) [21] Iran |
3 | 209 Coronary Artery Disease |
61.46 M/F |
20–7143 IU/d (3578.10 IU/d) 8–24 wk (18.66 wk) |
TG NS TC NS LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 2/3 Moderate |
| Miao YC (2020) [32] China |
5 | 217 PCOS |
26.69 F |
3571–12,000 IU/d (6056.97 IU/d) 8–24 wk (12.8 wk) |
TG NS TC S ↓ LDL-C S ↓ HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 3/5 High |
| Rezaei S (2021) [37] Iran |
8 | 685 NAFLD |
NA M/F |
10–7143 IU/d (4082.43 IU/d) 10–48 wk (16.2 wk) |
TG NS TC NS LDL-C NS HDL-C S ↑ |
Yes (Cochrane) 5/8 High |
| Gao H (2021) [25] China |
10 | 543 PCOS |
26.72 F |
2500–12,000 IU/d (4848.51 IU/d) 8–24 wk (12.8 wk) |
TG S ↓ TC S ↓ LDL-C S ↓ HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 5/10 High |
| Jafari T (2016) [28] Iran |
14 | 1044 T2DM |
57.42 M/F |
1000–7143 IU/d (3229.67 IU/d) 8–24 wk (17.84 wk) |
TG NS TC S ↓ LDL-C S ↓ HDL-C S ↓ |
Yes (Jadad) 8/14 High |
| Zou Y (2021) [42] China |
24 | 674 Diabetes and Prediabetes |
NA M/F |
NA NA |
TG NS TC NS LDL-C S ↓ HDL-C S ↑ |
Yes (Cochrane) 18/24 High |
| AlAnouti F (2020) [20] United Arab Emirates |
3 | 105 MS |
52.95 M/F |
2000–2857 IU/d (2428.57 IU/d) 8–12 wk (10 wk) |
TG S ↑ TC NS LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 1/3 High |
| AlAnouti F (2020) [20] United Arab Emirates |
2 | 127 MS |
52.08 M/F |
5714–7143 IU/d (6428.57 IU/d) 8–16 wk (12 wk) |
TG S ↑ TC NS LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 2/2 High |
| Guo XF (2020) [26] China |
4 | 347 NAFLD |
44.6 M/F |
10–7143 IU/d (3065.95 IU/d) 10–48 wk (17.6 wk) |
TG NS TC NS LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 0/4 High |
| Liu W (2021) [30] China |
7 | 1109 Postmenopausal |
55.98 F |
300–4000 IU/d (1181.81 IU/d) 12–144 wk (46.36 wk) |
TG S ↓ TC NS LDL-C NS HDL-C S ↓ |
Yes (Cochrane) 6/7 High |
| Ostadmohammadi V (2019) [35] Iran |
5 | 343 Cardiovascular Disease |
63.87 M/F |
20–7142.86 IU/d (2941.14 IU/d) 8–24 wk (16 wk) |
TG NS TC NS LDL-C NS HDL-C S ↑ |
Yes (Cochrane) NR |
| Bjelakovic M (2021) [22] Serbia |
5 | 460 Chronic Liver Diseases |
44.3 M/F |
10–7143 IU/d (4172.44 IU/d) 10–24 wk (14 wk) |
TG NS TC NS LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 3/5 High |
| Elamin MB (2011) [24] United States |
12 | 2098 General |
NA M/F |
NA | TG NS TC NS LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
NA |
| Wang L (2020) [40] China |
7 | 401 PCOS |
27.58 F |
2500–12,000 IU/d (4977.55 IU/d) 8–24 wk (12 wk) |
TG NS TC S ↓ LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 6/7 High |
| Dibaba DT (2019) [23] United States |
34 | 3242 General |
55 M/F |
20–7143 IU/d (2616.76 IU/d) 8–144 wk (32.41 wk) |
TG NS TC S ↓ LDL-C S ↓ HDL-C NS |
Yes (Jadad) Most High |
| Tabrizi R (2017) [38] Iran |
4 | 279 NAFLD |
44.08 M/F |
1000–7143 IU/d (2785.72 IU/d) 10–12 wk (11.5 wk) |
TG NS TC NS LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 1/4 High |
| Luo J (2021) [31] China |
12 | 677 PCOS |
25.99 F |
400–12,000 IU/d (4485.68 IU/d) 8–24 wk (12 wk) |
TG S ↓ TC S ↓ LDL-C S ↓ HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 7/12 High |
| Qorbani M (2022) [36] Iran |
10 | 983 General |
67.65 M/F |
400–14712 IU/d (4276.78 IU/d) 8–48 wk (25.77 wk) |
TG S ↓ TC S ↓ LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (CONSORT) 6/10 High |
| He C (2015) [27] United States |
3 | 130 PCOS |
26.76 F |
2500–12,000 IU/d (7214.33 IU/d) 8–12 wk (9.33 wk) |
TG NS LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (PRISMA) NR |
| Mirhosseini N (2018) [12] Canada |
39 | 3693 General |
49.49 M/F |
300–12,000 IU/d (2978.74 IU/d) 12–240 wk (31.94 wk) |
TG S ↓ TC S ↓ LDL-C S ↓ HDL-C S ↑ |
Yes (Cochrane) Most High |
| Manousopoulou A (2015) [11] United Kingdom |
5 | 755 Obesity |
45 M/F |
1000–8571.5 IU/d (4294.97 IU/d) 6–48 wk (32.4 wk) |
TG S ↓ LDL-C S ↑ HDL-C NS |
Yes (Jadad) 1/5 High |
| Miao J (2021) [33] United States |
20 | 3098 General |
44.89 M/F |
400–12,000 IU/d (4754.67 IU/d) 8–260 wk (33.3 wk) |
LDL-C NS | NR |
| Wei Y (2020) [41] China |
4 | 269 NAFLD |
47.05 M/F |
10–7143 IU/d (2450.57 IU/d) 12–48 wk (21.6 wk) |
LDL-C NS HDL-C NS |
Yes (Cochrane) 3/4 High |
Abbreviations: CKD, chronic kidney disease; F, female; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; M, male; MS, metabolic syndrome; NA, not available; NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; NR, not reported; NS, nonsignificant; PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome; S, significant; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglyceride.