Effect of garlic powder supplementation on hepatic steatosis, liver enzymes and lipid profile in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a double-blind randomised controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) includes a range of disorders from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. There is no proven drug treatment for NAFLD, and diet modification is considered part of the main line of treatment for this disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of garlic supplementation in NAFLD patients. The effect of garlic powder supplementation on hepatic steatosis, liver enzymes and lipid profile was investigated in NAFLD patients. Ninety NAFLD patients were randomly assigned to take either a garlic powder supplement or a placebo for 12 weeks. The treatment group received four tablets of garlic daily (each tablet contained 400 mg garlic powder). The control group received four tablets of placebo (each placebo contained 400 mg starch). At the end of the study, hepatic steatosis was significantly reduced in the treatment group compared with the control group (P = 0·001). In addition, a significant decrease was seen in the serum concentration of alanine transaminase (P < 0·001), aspartate transaminase (P = 0·002), γ-glutamyltransferase (P = 0·003) as well as total cholesterol (P = 0·009), TAG (P < 0·001), HDL-cholesterol (P < 0·001) and LDL-cholesterol (P = 0·01) in the treatment group compared with the control group. No significant difference was seen between the two groups in serum concentration of alkaline phosphatase. Overall, garlic powder supplementation improved hepatic features and lipid profile among NAFLD patients.