Figure 1

Flow chart of study identification, inclusion and exclusion criteria. This flow diagram illustrates the databases searched in this review, the resulting number of potential studies identified by this search; and the number and reasons for excluding studies based our pre-determined criteria. Following this process, seven RCTs were identified as meeting all criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The two studies that were excluded at the end of the process presented only data on inflammatory markers and cytokines rather than clinical outcomes or endpoints.