The Effect of Cumin on Anthropometric Measurements: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials

Abstract Background Obesity and overweight are known as risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, and some cancers leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Cuminum cyminum L. is one of the medicinal plants belonging to the Apiaceae family. The native regions for this plant are India, Iran, the Mediterranean region, and Egypt. Cumin contains essential fatty acids and volatile oils, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and terpenes. Cumin could be used as an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, anti-dyspepsia, and anti-obesity agent. Therefore, this systematic review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of cumin on weight, BMI, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio. Methods PubMed, Scopus, ISI, science direct, and Google Scholar databases were searched for April 2020. Twelve studies were included for this systematic review. Results Cumin can modulate anthropometric indices in the obese and overweight population by activating some enzymes, increasing the expression of insulin‐responsive glucose transporter type 4, and preventing fat accumulation in the body. Conclusions Cumin has anti-obesity effects on obese people. Thereby, more studies are required to assess the effect of different dosages of cumin on anthropometric indices.