TOPLINE: 

A narrative review suggests that culinary herbs may help prevent or manage obesity by improving metabolic profiles, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, and modulating the gut microbiome. 

METHODOLOGY: 

• Pharmacologic obesity treatments may have limited efficacy and cause side effects. In contrast, phytotherapy and nutraceuticals, including culinary herbs, may offer safer, diet-based alternatives.
• Researchers conducted a narrative review to evaluate evidence on bioactive compounds in culinary herbs for obesity prevention and treatment, focusing on metabolic, inflammatory, and gut microbiota outcomes.
• The review included 137 studies (2010-2025), including both animal and human research, with an emphasis on four commonly used culinary herbs in Poland: cress (Lepidium sativum), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.), and mint (Mentha spp.).
• Data were drawn from eight clinical trials involving 348 human participants and 14 animal studies with sample sizes ranging from 10-70 animals.
• Key outcomes included body weight, adiposity index, insulin resistance, serum lipids, glucose, insulin, oxidative stress markers, inflammatory cytokines, and gut microbiota composition.

TAKEAWAY: 

• Animal studies demonstrated that supplementation with cress, coriander, sage, or mint improved metabolic parameters. This included reductions in body weight; adiposity index; insulin resistance; cholesterol, glucose, and insulin; and oxidative stress markers. In addition, increases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and anti-inflammatory cytokines were observed.
• Bioactive compounds in these herbs may beneficially alter gut microbiota by reducing metabolic endotoxemia, inflammation, and insulin resistance.
• Human studies found that coriander supplementation (seed or leaf powder) reduced blood glucose and cholesterol levels and improved antioxidant capacity or cardioprotective indices in patients with type 2 diabetes or osteoarthritis and in healthy individuals.
• In patients with hyperlipidemia (with or without type 2 diabetes), sage leaf extract reduced fasting glucose, A1c, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) while increasing HDL-C.
• In one clinical study, peppermint juice supplementation reduced glycemia, BMI, systolic blood pressure, and levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, and liver enzymes while increasing HDL-C.

IN PRACTICE: 

“Culinary herbs may have anti-obesogenic, anti-diabetic, and anti-hyperlipidaemic properties. Being readily available, they can be used to support overweight individuals in managing excess weight and to facilitate the maintenance of a healthy body weight,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Anna Winiarska, University of Life Sciences, Lublin, Poland. It was published online in Nutrients.

LIMITATIONS:

No specific limitations were reported.

DISCLOSURES: 

This study received no external funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.