The effect of Nigella sativa on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of Nigella Sativa supplementation in regulating various metabolic parameters in non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) patients by doing a meta-analysis. Electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and manual search were conducted for gathering all relevant randomized controlled trials of Nigella sativa in patients with NAFLD till Dec 2019. Four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the meta-analysis. Our random effect meta-analysis estimated results showed that N.sativa intervention significantly decreased alanine transaminase (ALT; SMD: 2.09, 95% CI [0.57, 3.61]; p=0.007; I2=96%), aspartate aminotransferase (AST; SMD:1.85, 95% CI[0.50, 3.19]; p=0.007; I2=95%), low density lipoproteins (LDL-C; SMD: 0.55; 95% CI [0.06, 1.03]; p=0.03; I2 =63), triglycerides (TG; SMD: 0.37, 95% CI[-0.10, 0.64]; p=0.008; I2=0%) and improved high density lipoproteins levels (HDL-C; SMD: -0.82; 95% CI[-1.52, 0.12]; p=0.02; I2=80%). Although, N.sativa did not significantly reduced the body mass index (BMI; SMD:0.16, 95% CI[-0.08, 0.40]; p=0.18; I2 =2%). This systematic review and meta-analysis evidence supports that N.sativa supplementation was beneficial for the treatment of NAFLD without causing adverse effects. Further high-quality clinical studies are needed to confirm these results.

Keywords

• Nigella sativa
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Metabolic parameters
• Liver function test
• lipid parameters