The effects of garlic supplementation on oxidative stress markers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

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#antioxidants #dietary-supplements #garlic #humans #oxidative-stress

The effects of garlic supplementation on oxidative stress markers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Moosavian et al., 2020 | Complement Ther Med | Meta Analysis

Citation

Moosavian Seyedeh Parisa, Arab Arman, ... Moradi Sajjad. The effects of garlic supplementation on oxidative stress markers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med. 2020-May;50:102385. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102385

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have found that garlic supplementation can improve antioxidant status, however, there is no definitive consensus on this context. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of garlic supplementation on oxidative stress markers. SETTING: We searched titles, abstracts, and keywords of relevant articles indexed in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases up to November 2019 to identify eligible RCT studies. To compare the effects of garlic with placebo, weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were pooled based on the random-effects model. Quality assessment was performed using a Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. RESULTS: Overall, 7 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 317 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Based on the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool, five studies were considered as good quality and two studies were fair. We found that garlic supplementation significantly increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (WMD =11.03 mmol/L; 95 % CI: 4.78, 17.28 mmol/L; P < 0.001) and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (WMD = -1.88 mmol/L; 95 % CI: -3.30, -0.46 mmol/L; P = 0.01) compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: In summary, the current meta-analysis indicated that garlic supplementation might improve oxidative stress markers. However, these findings are incomplete due to the paucity of studies, and further well-designed clinical trials are needed in this field to confirm the effect of garlic supplement on oxidative stress markers.

Key Findings

Overall, 7 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 317 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Based on the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool, five studies were considered as good quality and two studies were fair. We found that garlic supplementation significantly increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (WMD =11.03 mmol/L; 95 % CI: 4.78, 17.28 mmol/L; P < 0.001) and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (WMD = -1.88 mmol/L; 95 % CI: -3.30, -0.46 mmol/L; P = 0.01) compared

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 317
Age Range See abstract
Condition stress

MeSH Terms

  • Antioxidants
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Garlic
  • Humans
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: garlic

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09