Background and Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is one of the most common chronic liver diseases thorough the world. The pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver is closely associated with obesity and insulin resistance. There is evidence suggesting a relationship between ginger intake and NAFLD risk factor management. The objective of present study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation with ginger on liver enzymes, hepatic fibrosis and steatosis in patients with NAFLD.

Materials and Methods: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, 50 patients with NAFLD were divided into two groupsand receiving daily 2 gram ginger or placebo for 12 weeks. Both groups were advised to follow an energy-balanced diet and recommended to perform physical activity. Liver enzymes and hepatic fibrosis and steatosis were assessed at the baseline and at the end of the study. The SPSS 20th software was used for data analysis.

Results: Among the 50 volunteers, 23 patients in the treatment group and 21 patients in the control group completed the study. At baseline no significant differences were seen in the background variables between the two groups. Ginger supplementation compared to placebo resulted in a significant reduction in alanine aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transferase and hepatic steatosis grade (P-value < 0.001). We did not find any significant effect of taking ginger supplements on the levels of hepatic fibrosis and aspartate aminotransferase (P-value = 0.39, P-value – 0.886, respectively).

Conclusion: This study showed that ginger flaxseed supplementation can act as a new therapeutic approach in NAFLD management

Keywords: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Ginger, Hepatic fibrosis, Liver enzymes