{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nPlants of the genus Rhodiola (including R. rosea and R. crenulata) is purported to enhance antioxidant capacity and altitude adaptation, yet clinical evidence remains conflicting. This meta-analysis evaluates its effects on systemic antioxidant markers and altitude adaptation outcomes in healthy adults.Methods\n\nNine Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs, n=424) were identified from PubMed, Cochrane, Medline, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Primary outcomes included maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and acute mountain sickness (AMS) incidence. Data were pooled using RevMan 5.4 with random/fixed-effects models.Results\n\nR. rosea significantly increased TAC (P=0.02) and showed a trend toward reducing TBARS levels (P=0.06), indicating enhanced systemic antioxidant capacity. However, it showed no significant effect on VO₂max (95% CI: -0.91 to 2.99; P=0.30) or MDA levels (P=0.07). Crucially, R. rosea did not prevent AMS (OR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.69-1.52) but mitigated some symptoms of high-altitude deacclimatization (P<0.05).Conclusion\n\nExtracts of Rhodiola species significantly improves systemic antioxidant status and may alleviate high-altitude de-adaptation symptoms. However, current evidence does not support its efficacy for improving VO₂max, reducing MDA levels, or preventing AMS. These uncertainties likely stem from heterogeneous study designs, sample sizes, variable dosing, and inconsistent intervention durations.Systematic review registration\n\nhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251004228, identifier CRD420251004228.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.",
    "Center for Animal Experimentation, Clinical Biobank, and Bioinformatics, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, China."
  ],
  "article_type": "systematic review",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jie Mou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jingxian Yin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Lingting Fan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wen Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Junxian He"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Hongyu Sun"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ck42an3p0p4h0.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fphys.2026.1908897",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13682997",
  "id": "ck42an3p0p4h0",
  "issns": [
    "1664-042X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908635",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220850310",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13682997?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13682997",
  "pmid": "42908635",
  "published": "2026-10-07",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ck42an3p0p4h0.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:57Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42908635",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908635"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Antioxidant but not ergogenic or altitude-protective: a meta-analysis of Rhodiola species in healthy adults.",
  "title_text": "Antioxidant but not ergogenic or altitude-protective: a meta-analysis of Rhodiola species in healthy adults.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:57Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ck42an3p0p4h0",
  "venue": "Frontiers in physiology",
  "versions": []
}