Effects of garlic supplementation on serum inflammatory markers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background and aims: Previous studies have indicated that garlic consumption may be beneficial in improving inflammation. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the effect of garlic supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers. Methods: PubMed/Medline, Scopus and ISI web of science were searched up to February 2019. Random effects model was used to calculate the overall effects on C-reactive protein (CRP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-alpha). Results: 17 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the meta-analyses. Garlic supplementation significantly reduced the level of circulating CRP (P < 0.05), whereas it did not have any significant effect on IL-6 level (p > 0.05). Sub-group analysis showed that aged garlic extract (AGE) was able to reduce CRP and TNF-alpha significantly (P < 0.05). Conclusions: This meta-analysis showed that supplementation with garlic could reduce the level of circulating CRP and AGE could reduce the level of TNF-alpha and CRP, whereas it had no significant effect on the IL-6 level. (c) 2020 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.