Does turmeric/curcumin supplementation improve serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of turmeric/curcumin supplementation on serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We searched PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to November 20, 2018. Studies that examined the effect of turmeric/curcumin on serum concentrations of ALT and AST among patients with NAFLD were included. The mean difference and standard deviation (SD) of changes in ALT and AST between intervention and control groups were used as effect size for the meta-analysis. A total of six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible for meta-analysis. Results from pooled analysis revealed that turmeric/curcumin supplementation reduced ALT (MD: -7.31 UL/L, 95% CI [-13.16, -1.47], p = 0.014) and AST (MD: -4.68 UL/L, 95% CI [-8.75 -0.60], p = 0.026). When RCTs stratified on the basis of their treatment duration, the significant reduction in serum concentrations of ALT and AST was observed only in studies lasting less than 12 weeks. This review suggests that turmeric/curcumin might have a favorable effect on serum concentrations of ALT and AST in patients with NAFLD. However, further clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings.