Innovative treatments for obesity and NAFLD: A bibliometric study on antioxidants, herbs, phytochemicals, and natural compounds

Abstract

The increasing scientific interest in antioxidants and naturally derived compounds as potential remedies for obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has led to extensive research. The objective of this bibliometric analysis is to present an updated perspective on the topic of antioxidants, herbs, phytochemicals, and natural compounds, in the control of obesity and NAFLD, to identify new areas for future research. Publications from the years 2012-2022 were retrieved using the Scopus database. The research trends were analyzed using the Biblioshiny and VOSviewer tools. The field has seen a significant increase in research activity, as indicated by an annual growth rate of 10 % in the number of published manuscripts. China, Korea, and the USA emerged as the most prominent contributors in this specific field, supported by their notable volumes of publications and citations. The density analysis revealed that the most frequently occurring authors' keywords related to herbal species are, in rank order, Camelia sinensis, Momordica charantia, Curcuma longa, Ilex paraguariensis, Panax ginseng, Moringa oleifera, Garcinia cambogia, Garcinia mangostana, Zingiber officinale, and Cinnamomum verum. In the group of antioxidants, phytochemicals, and natural compounds, the top 10 were resveratrol, curcumin, quercetin, vitamin E, alpha-lipoic acid, vitamin C, chlorogenic acid, lycopene, fucoxanthin, and berberine. The co-occurrence analysis unveiled significant themes and potential trends, including a notable interest in the impact of herbal species, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and natural compounds on obesity and NAFLD through the modulation of the gut microbiome. Another recurring theme that arises, is the ongoing investigation of molecular targets that demonstrate anti-adipogenesis properties. The analysis presented in this study provides valuable insights for researchers investigating the efficacy of antioxidants, herbs, phytochemicals, and natural compounds in addressing obesity and NAFLD. Through the use of bibliometric methods, the study offers a comprehensive overview. Furthermore, the findings of this analysis can serve as a foundation for future research in this specific domain.

Keywords: Antioxidants; Biblioshiny; Herbs; NAFLD; Natural compounds; Obesity; Phytochemicals; Scopus; VOSviewer.

Fig. 1

The number of publications between 2012 and 2022. All numbers are derived from Scopus on April 17, 2023.

Fig. 2

List of the 20 most productive journals in terms of publications (A) and citations (B), in descending order. All numbers are derived from Scopus on April 17, 2023.

Fig. 3

Visualization map of bibliometric coupling of journals based on source link-weights and with a minimum contribution of 25 articles. Each cluster represented journals with a similar citation pattern. All numbers are derived from Scopus on April 17, 2023.

Fig. 4

The top 10 most productive countries in terms of publications (A) and citations (B), in descending order for Single Country Publications and citations (SCP) and number of citations. MCP = Multi Country Publications. All numbers are derived from Scopus on April 17, 2023 and are elaborated by Biblioshiny.

Fig. 5

Network of country coauthorship map, weighted by the total link strength, representing 4 clusters of collaborations. Included countries (N = 50). All numbers are derived from Scopus on April 17, 2023. This network was generated by Biblioshiny.

Fig. 6

Top-ten institution's production over time. All numbers are derived from Scopus on April 17, 2023.

Fig. 7

Network of institutions coauthorship map, weighted by the total link strength, representing 10 clusters of collaborations. All numbers are derived from Scopus on April 17, 2023. This network was generated by Biblioshiny.

Fig. 8

The density map of the authors' keyword terms refers exclusively to antioxidants, herbal species, phytochemicals and natural compounds. The chromaticity associated with the keywords is positively correlated with their frequency, with blue denoting lower frequency and yellow indicating higher frequency. All numbers are derived from Scopus on April 17, 2023. This network was generated by VOSviewer.

Fig. 9

Clustered co-occurrence map of the author's keywords from 12557 Scopus-retrieved articles. Only keywords with ten or more occurrences were examined. Items that are unrelated to others were left out. The size of the frames in the map represents how frequently the keyword appears. The proximity of two nodes and the thickness of the line connecting them show the strength of co-occurrence between pairs of keywords. The color of the frames represents keyword clusters, which are typically made up of co-occurring phrases and can be thought of as large research topics in the field. The largest collection of related terms consists of 649 terms divided into four categories, each distinguished by a different color: red, green, yellow, and blue. All numbers are derived from Scopus on April 17, 2023. This network was generated by VOSviewer.