Effects of garlic and its major bioactive components on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies

Abstract

• Garlic had beneficial effects on the liver's histopathological features, fat content, enzymes, and weight. • Types and duration of interventions, disease and study models, and risk of bias did not affect the pooled results. • Fermented and raw garlic had similar effects on liver enzymes and weight. • The certainty of the evidence was very low to low according to GRADE. This systematic review and meta-analysis study was conducted to summarize the effects of garlic or its major components on hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol content, serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels, and liver weight. We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge databases. Data were pooled, and standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using the random-effect model. Out of 958 reports, 28 articles were eligible, of which 22 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Most of the included studies demonstrated the beneficial effects of garlic on hepatic histopathological features. The pooled results showed that garlic significantly decreased hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol, ALT, AST, and liver weight. The certainty of the estimates was very low to low according to GRADE. In conclusion, our study demonstrated amelioration of hepatic histopathological characteristics, hepatic lipid content, serum liver enzymes, and liver weight following garlic administration.