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. 2020 Jul 7:13:2389-2397.
doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S254555. eCollection 2020.

Therapeutic Effects of Garlic on Hepatic Steatosis in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Davood Soleimani  1 , Zamzam Paknahad  2 , Mohammad Hossein Rouhani  3
Affiliations

Therapeutic Effects of Garlic on Hepatic Steatosis in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Davood Soleimani et al. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Emerging evidence suggests that garlic (Allium sativum L.) and its bioactive components can mitigate hepatic steatosis by the modulation of hepatic lipid metabolism. We aimed to assess the efficacy of the garlic administration on hepatic steatosis in patients with NAFLD.

Patients and methods: This clinical trial was conducted on adult patients with ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD. Eligible participants were randomly assigned, with the use of the stratified blocked procedure, to receive 800 mg garlic or placebo for 15 weeks. The primary outcome was the improvement in the hepatic steatosis diagnosed by ultrasound technique after 15 weeks of intervention.

Results: A total of 110 patients underwent randomization, and 98 patients completed the trial. Twenty-four (51.1%) patients in the garlic group achieved improvement in the hepatic steatosis compared to eight (15.7%) patients in the placebo group with the relative risk of 5.6 (95% CI: 2.17 to 14.5; P=0.001), which remained significant after adjusting for baseline value of hepatic steatosis. There were significant reductions in weight and serum ALT, AST, FBS, Hb A1C, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and TG concentration with the garlic intake compared to placebo (P<0.05). The results were also significant after adjusting for weight change, energy intake, and physical activity. No serious adverse effects were observed with the garlic intake.

Conclusion: The intake of garlic powder was accompanied by a significant improvement in the hepatic steatosis and comorbidity related to this condition among subjects with NAFLD.

Keywords: Allium sativum; garlic; hepatic steatosis; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Screening, randomization, treatment, follow-up. The randomization procedure was done using the stratified permuted block method. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive enteric-coated garlic powder supplement at a dose of 400 mg (equal to 1.5 mg allicin) two times daily or garlic-like placebo for 15 weeks.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The changes in the ultrasound findings of hepatic steatosis from baseline to 15-week intervention in the garlic and placebo group. *Within-group comparisons with the use of a Wilcoxon rank-sum test showed a significant improvement in the degree of hepatic steatosis in the garlic group from baseline to 15-week intervention. Mann–Whitney U-test showed that the improvement in the degree of hepatic steatosis in the garlic group was significantly higher than the placebo group (P value=0.001).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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