Big effect
Garlic showed the strongest effect on antioxidant capacity in a meta-analysis of 273 people with fatty liver disease — but the finding comes from a clinical population with a specific condition, so it may not apply to everyone.
The result is promising but preliminary: this is among the first indexed studies to rank garlic’s antioxidant effect via a network meta-analysis, and because the participants all had MAFLD (a clinical group), the size of the effect likely doesn’t translate directly to healthy people.
Researchers compared several supplements for metabolic fatty liver disease and found that garlic had the largest impact on improving the body’s overall antioxidant capacity — a measure of how well it neutralizes damaging molecules called free radicals. The same analysis also linked garlic to lower levels of malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative damage. But the dose used wasn’t reported, and the study only included people with a specific liver condition, so the headline effect may be narrower than it appears.
Where this fits in the evidence
This is among the first studies we've indexed on Garlic for Improved Antioxidant Capacity — treat it as an early signal until more research accumulates.
The study
- Systematic Review
- n = 273
- 2026-01-29
- Frontiers in pharmacology
This is a plain-language summary of a research finding, not medical advice. Pillser surfaces research signals to help you decide what's worth investigating — always consult a qualified professional before changing what you take.