The role of very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKD) in the long-term management of obesity is not well established. The present meta-analysis aimed to investigate whether individuals assigned to a VLCKD (i.e. a diet with no more than 50 g carbohydrates/d) achieve better long-term body weight and cardiovascular risk factor management when compared with individuals assigned to a conventional lowfat diet (LFD; i.e. a restricted-energy diet with less than 30 % of energy from fat). Through August 2012, MEDLINE, CENTRAL, ScienceDirect, Scopus, LILACS, SciELO, ClinicalTrials.gov and grey literature databases were searched, using no date or language restrictions, for randomised controlled trials that assigned adults to a VLCKD or a LFD, with 12 months or more of follow-up. The primary outcome was body weight. The secondary outcomes were TAG, HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glucose, insulin, HbA 1c and C-reactive protein levels. A total of thirteen studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. In the overall analysis, five outcomes revealed significant results. Individuals assigned to a VLCKD showed decreased body weight (weighted mean difference 20·91 (95 % CI 2 1·65, 20·17) kg, 1415 patients), TAG (weighted mean difference 2 0·18 (95 % CI 20·27, 2 0·08) mmol/l, 1258 patients) and diastolic blood pressure (weighted mean difference 2 1·43 (95 % CI 22·49, 2 0·37) mmHg, 1298 patients) while increased HDL-C (weighted mean difference 0·09 (95 % CI 0·06, 0·12) mmol/l, 1257 patients) and LDL-C (weighted mean difference 0·12 (95 % CI 0·04, 0·2) mmol/l, 1255 patients). Individuals assigned to a VLCKD achieve a greater weight loss than those assigned to a LFD in the long term; hence, a VLCKD may be an alternative tool against obesity.Key words: Cardiovascular risk factors: Low-carbohydrate diets: Meta-analysis: Obesity: Weight loss Obesity continues to be a major worldwide health problem, despite the efforts of the medical community. At least 2·8 million adults die from obesity-related causes each year, and 65 % of the worldwide population lives in countries where obesity causes more deaths than underweight (1) . Although it is a difficult task, intensive lifestyle interventions can achieve weight loss that is sustained over the long term, as shown by the findings of a recent large clinical trial (2) .Diet is a cornerstone of any lifestyle intervention programme. The dietary plan that restricts energy and fat is the most common strategy, and based on it, several other dietary strategies have been proposed (3 -5) . The very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (VLCKD) differs from these approaches. According to Accurso et al. A major concern regarding the prescription of the VLCKD is the adherence of the individuals assigned to it, since it promotes important lifestyle changes (7) . Given the importance of dietary counselling in weight loss, it is useful to investigate the effectiveness of different dietary therapies. A recent large randomised clinical trial, whic...

The occurrence of hypertensive syndromes during pregnancy leads to high rates of maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality. Amongst them, preeclampsia (PE) is one of the most common. This review aims to describe the relationship between oxidative stress and inflammation in PE, aiming to reinforce its importance in the context of the disease and to discuss perspectives on clinical and nutritional treatment, in this line of research. Despite the still incomplete understanding of the pathophysiology of PE, it is well accepted that there are placental changes in pregnancy, associated with an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and the antioxidant defence system, characterizing the placental oxidative stress that leads to an increase in the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Hence, a generalized inflammatory process occurs, besides the presence of progressive vascular endothelial damage, leading to the dysfunction of the placenta. There is no consensus in the literature on the best strategies for prevention and treatment of the disease, especially for the control of oxidative stress and inflammation. In view of the above, it is evident the important connection between oxidative stress and inflammatory process in the pathogenesis of PE, being that this disease is capable of causing serious implications on both maternal and fetal health. Reports on the use of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds are analysed and still considered controversial. As such, the field is open for new basic and clinical research, aiming the development of innovative therapeutic approaches to prevent and to treat PE.

Objective: To determine, through a systematic review with meta-analysis, the prevalence of food addiction (FA) using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) and its derivatives exploring possible factors associated with the prevalence of FA in several contexts. Methods:The following databases were searched: MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, LILACS, PsycArticles, CENTRAL, Greylit.org, and OpenGrey.eu. Studies that assessed FA using YFAS were included. Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of each report. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate the weighted prevalence of FA. Subgroup analyses and metaregression were conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity. Results: Of the 6425 abstracts reviewed, 272 studies were included. The weighted mean prevalence of FA diagnosis was 20% (95% CI: 18%; 21%). The prevalence of FA was higher in individuals with clinical diagnosis of binge eating (55%; 95% CI 34%; 75%). The prevalence in clinical samples was higher compared to non-clinical samples. Two studies included children only and no studies included only elderly people.Conclusions: Food addiction is a topic in which there has been a significant growth in studies. The highest prevalence was found in the group of

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