The consumption of ora-pro-nobis and tamarillo improves which health indicators?

Ora-pro-nobis and tamarillo are unconventional food plants (UFP) in Brazil rich in nutrients and fiber, which can exert positive effects on health. The objective was to analyze studies to verify the effectiveness and applicability of these UFPs in clinical practice. The Prisma protocol was used for data search. Four databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science) were searched using compiled terms and Boolean operators “AND” / “OR.” Rayann was used to select the studies. The Joanna Briggs manual was adopted to assess the study's risk of bias. Thus, 17 studies were included in this review. Most studies (14/17) had a low, 2 moderate, and 1 high risk of bias. In conclusion, ora-pro-nobis and tamarillo exert beneficial effects on the lipid profile. Tamarillo improves antioxidant capacity, besides exerting positive effects on lipid and glycemic profiles, memory, and anticarcinogenic action, while ora-pro-nobis acted in gastrointestinal modulation, lipid profile, body weight reduction, satiety increase, and improving rheumatoid arthritis. To improve health indicators, we suggest daily consumption of 100 g of fresh leaves or 10 g of ora-pro-nobis flour; and/or 100 g of tamarillo.