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Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment · Review
Food Chemistry International · August 5, 2026
Reinforces what was already believed, rather than introducing something new.
This systematic review of 89 studies synthesizes evidence that functional foods, medicinal plants, and phytochemicals show promise in modulating metabolic pathways relevant to type 2 diabetes, obesity, fatty liver disease, and metabolic syndrome. The evidence is confirmatory in tone—supporting potential complementary roles—but heterogeneity is substantial, bioavailability remains limited, and the authors explicitly call for larger, well-designed RCTs with standardized protocols before clinical translation can be established.
Systematic review. Studies of functional foods, medicinal plants, phytochemicals, bioactive compounds and nutrients in patients with metabolic diseases (type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, metabolic syndrome). Intervention: Functional foods (oats, legumes), medicinal plants, phytochemicals (berberine, choline, curcumin, eugenol), bioactive compounds and specific nutrients. Compared with: Conventional therapeutic approaches (implicit; not explicitly detailed). Not specified.
Berberine demonstrated clinically relevant improvements in insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control in patients with T2DM Choline supplementation showed promise in reducing hepatic steatosis and oxidative stress in MASLD Oats and legumes contributed to improved lipid metabolism and glucose regulation through dietary fibre and β-glucan
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
Clinicians should recognize that while natural compounds and functional foods have supporting evidence for metabolic disease management, they should be positioned as complementary to—not replacements for—conventional therapies. The current evidence base does not yet support specific dosing, formulation, or long-term efficacy claims.
A systematic review synthesizing 89 studies on natural compounds and functional foods for metabolic diseases, confirming potential complementary roles but acknowledging substantial heterogeneity and calling for larger RCTs rather than establishing new clinical practice.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
Clinicians should recognize that while natural compounds and functional foods have supporting evidence for metabolic disease management, they should be positioned as complementary to—not replacements for—conventional therapies. The current evidence base does not yet support specific dosing, formulation, or long-term efficacy claims.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
ABSTRACT Metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity, metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and metabolic syndrome, continue to increase worldwide, posing a substantial global public health burden. Growing evidence suggests that functional foods, medicinal plants, phytochemicals, bioactive compounds and specific nutrients may complement conventional therapeutic approaches by modulating metabolic pathways associated with these conditions. This systematic review synthesised evidence published between 2016 and 2026 from PubMed, Scopus, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, Wiley Online Library, Taylor & Francis Online, etc., following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Studies were selected using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and methodological quality was assessed using established risk‐of‐bias tools appropriate to study design. A total of 89 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Berberine demonstrated clinically relevant improvements in insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control in patients with T2DM, while choline supplementation showed promise in reducing hepatic steatosis and oxidative stress in MASLD. Functional foods such as oats and legumes contributed to improved lipid metabolism and glucose regulation through dietary fibre and β‐glucan, whereas phytochemicals including curcumin and eugenol exhibited anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities by modulating pathways such as AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) and nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (NRF2). Although many studies reported favourable metabolic outcomes, considerable heterogeneity was observed across intervention types, study populations, dosages, formulations and outcome measures. Furthermore, limited bioavailability, variability in formulation and inconsistent dosing protocols remain major barriers to clinical translation. Overall, current evidence supports the potential of these natural interventions as complementary approaches alongside conventional therapies for metabolic disease management. However, larger, well‐designed randomised controlled trials with standardised interventions are required to establish long‐term efficacy, optimal dosing and clinical applicability.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.