HN-01490082_Effects of Garlic Supplementation on Liver Enzymes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Introduction: Current evidence on the beneficial effects of garlic on liver enzymes is contradictory. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the effect of garlic supplementation on human liver enzymes, such as Alanine Transaminase (ALT/SGPT) and Aspartate Transaminase (AST/SGOT).Methods: To collect the required data, PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and Google scholar databases were systematically searched from inception to June 2019. A meta-analysis was conducted using the random-effects model to evaluate the effects of garlic supplementation on ALT and AST levels. The Cochran’s Q-test and inconsistency index (I2) were also used to evaluate heterogeneity among the studies. Among a total of 15514 identified articles, six studies (containing 301 participants) met the inclusion criteria.Results: Results of the meta-analysis showed that garlic supplementation significantly decreased AST level (Hedges g = -0.36, 95% CI: -0.72, -0.004, P= 0.047); whereas, it had no significant effect on ALT level (Hedges g = -0.22, 95% CI: -0.64, 0.20, P= 0.310).Conclusions: Results showed that garlic supplementation reduced AST levels significantly; however, had no significant effect on ALT levels. Considering the low score of NutriGrade, further studies are needed in this area.

Keywords:

garlic , liver enzyme , ALT , AST , systematic review , meta-analysis