What are the potential therapeutic effects of Silybum marianum (milk thistle) and its main component silymarin in metabolic syndrome?
Silymarin, a review (Phytother Res 2018, PMID 30015401) — the review found that Silybum marianum exhibits antioxidant, lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antiatherosclerotic, anti-obesity, and hepatoprotective effects, which are relevant to the management of metabolic syndrome. No numeric effect size is reported for Silymarin in the source abstract.
Source: Phytother Res 2018, PMID 30015401 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: low
Phytother Res · 2018 · PMID 30015401 · DOI 10.1002/ptr.6153
Milk thistle and its component silymarin show promise for treating metabolic syndrome due to their various health benefits.
The question
What are the potential therapeutic effects of Silybum marianum (milk thistle) and its main component silymarin in metabolic syndrome?
What they tested
Silybum marianum and silymarin may exhibit beneficial effects on various components of metabolic syndrome due to their antioxidant, lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antiatherosclerotic, anti-obesity, and hepatoprotective properties.
How they did it
This is a review article that summarizes existing animal and human studies on the effects of Silybum marianum in metabolic syndrome and identifies its underlying mechanisms of action.
What they found
The review found that Silybum marianum exhibits antioxidant, lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antiatherosclerotic, anti-obesity, and hepatoprotective effects, which are relevant to the management of metabolic syndrome.
What it means
Silybum marianum and its main component silymarin show potential as a therapeutic plant for metabolic syndrome due to their diverse beneficial effects.
Limitations
This is a review and does not present new experimental data. The specific limitations of the individual studies reviewed are not detailed in the abstract.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Silybum marianum (milk thistle) and silymarin as a potential therapeutic plant in metabolic syndrome: a review |
|---|---|
| Journal | Phytother Res |
| Year | 2018 |
| PMID | 30015401 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1002/ptr.6153 ↗ |
| Topic | Metabolic health, glucose & body composition |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
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Silymarin (Milk Thistle)
In non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/MASLD), multiple meta-analyses of randomized trials find that silymarin modestly lowers the liver enzymes ALT and AST and improves metabolic markers including cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting insulin, though reviewers caution that the underlying trials are small and…
Silymarin is a mixture of flavonolignans—principally silybin (silibinin), along with silychristin…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). What are the potential therapeutic effects of Silybum marianum (milk thistle) and its main component silymarin in metabolic syndrome? [Plain-English summary of Phytother Res 2018, PMID 30015401, DOI 10.1002/ptr.6153]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d30015401.html@misc{magellan_d30015401,
title = {What are the potential therapeutic effects of Silybum marianum (milk thistle) and its main component silymarin in metabolic syndrome?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d30015401.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 30015401; DOI 10.1002/ptr.6153; Phytother Res 2018. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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