Unveiling the Metabolic Effects of Ganoderma lucidum in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Ganoderma is a mushroom renowned for its medical attributes, encompassing hepatoprotective, hypocholesterolemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and immunomodulatory activities. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Ganoderma lucidum supplementation on metabolic profile in adult populations. Articles were retrieved from MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases until the year 2023. Inclusion criteria were all published trials examining the effect of G. lucidum supplementation on metabolic profile in adult populations. The quality assessment and meta-analysis was performed. A total of 13 studies (two in populations with metabolic syndrome, two in type 2 diabetes mellitus, one in fibromyalgia patients, six in healthy populations, and two patients with coronary arterial disease) were included in this study, and seven studies met the eligibility criteria for meta-analysis. G. lucidum was mostly administered as capsules. There were no significant differences among outcomes in between group comparisons of high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and fasting plasma glucose in the metabolic syndrome population (p value=1.00, 0.90, 0.78, and 0.33, respectively). Within group comparisons among the healthy population, only serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (p=0.03) and total cholesterol (p<0.0001) exhibited significant changes. In conclusion, we observed significant reductions in serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase and total cholesterol levels among healthy individuals following G. lucidum supplementation. However, despite promising preliminary findings, greater sample numbers with a more diverse demographic studies are required to fully understand and uncover any capabilities of G. lucidum in a therapeutic role.