Effects of Momordica charantia L on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta- analysis of randomized clinical trials

Abstract

Several reports have indicated a positive effect of Momordica charantia (MC) on blood pressure (BP); nevertheless, these findings have been controversial. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were aimed to investigate the effects of MC supplementation on BP. PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane library databases were searched (up to June 2020) to identify RCTs investigating the effects of Momordica charantia supplementation on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Weighted mean differences (WMD) were pooled using a random-effects model. Publication bias was assessed by Egger's and Begg's test and heterogeneity was evaluated using Q tests and the I-2 statistic. Eventually, only five articles (six treatment arms) 305 participants (154 as intervention group/151 as control), which reported data of interest entered for data analysis. The meta-analysis showed a non-significant reduction in SBP (WMD: -2.28 mmHg; 95 CI: -6.62, 2.05, P = .302), with significant heterogeneity between selected studies (I-2 = -77.3) and (WMD: -0.8 mmHg, 95 CI: -2.65 to 1.04, P = .394) with significant between-study heterogeneity (I-2 = 38.1). When studies were categorized based on participants' mean age and duration of intervention, SBP and DBP had a large non-significant decrease in subjects with equivalent and less than 50 years' subset and short duration (<= 8 weeks'). Consumption of MC preparations was not associated with a significant reduction in either SBP or DBP. However, we found a significant hypotensive effect of MC in younger adults and in short-term interventions. Future adequately powered clinical trials, with larger sample size, which consider proper standardization of MC preparations and exclusively include hypertensive patients, are needed to investigate the clinical potential of MC on blood pressure control among these patients.