Effects of Ginseng Consumption on Cardiovascular Health Biomarkers in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Ginseng, with various pharmacological activities, has received increasing attention to improve cardiovascular health (CVH). Therefore, this meta‐analysis synthesized the effect of ginseng consumption on biomarkers of CVH in adults. A systematic search was performed in the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library through July 24, 2023 to screen out English‐language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of ginseng consumption on body composition, blood pressure, vascular stiffness, lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, inflammatory cytokines, and adipocytokines in adults. The weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the overall effect size, and STATA 12.0 was used for comprehensive analysis. Forty‐five studies were included in the meta‐analysis. Ginseng consumption significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) (WMD = −2.57 mmHg, 95% CI = −4.99 to −0.14, p = 0.038), total cholesterol (TC) (WMD = −4.40 mg/dL, 95% CI = −8.67 to −0.132, p = 0.043), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) (WMD = −2.81 mg/dL, 95% CI = −4.89 to −0.72, p = 0.008), C‐reactive protein (CRP) (WMD = −0.41 mg/L, 95% CI = −0.73 to −0.10, p = 0.010), and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) (WMD = −2.82 pg./mL, 95% CI = −4.31 to −1.32, p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses suggested that supplementation with ginseng for less than 12 weeks significantly reduced SBP, but 12 weeks or more improved TC and CRP. Ginseng consumption on SBP, TC, and CRP seemed to be more effective on unhealthy participants. The meta‐analysis showed that ginseng consumption might have the potential to improve SBP, TC, LDL‐C, CRP, and IL‐6. These findings suggest that ginseng is a potential candidate for the maintenance of CVH. However, our results had high heterogeneity. Future high‐quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of ginseng consumption.