Antioxidant but not ergogenic or altitude-protective: a meta-analysis of Rhodiola species in healthy adults.
- 1College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.
- 2Center for Animal Experimentation, Clinical Biobank, and Bioinformatics, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, China.
Abstract
Background
Plants 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
Nine 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
R. 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
Extracts 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
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251004228, identifier CRD420251004228.
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BibTeX
@article{mou2026antioxidant,
title = {{Antioxidant but not ergogenic or altitude-protective: a meta-analysis of Rhodiola species in healthy adults.}},
author = {Jie Mou and Jingxian Yin and Lingting Fan and Wen Zhang and Junxian He and Hongyu Sun},
journal = {Frontiers in physiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fphys.2026.1908897},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908635},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Antioxidant but not ergogenic or altitude-protective: a meta-analysis of Rhodiola species in healthy adults.
AU - Jie Mou
AU - Jingxian Yin
AU - Lingting Fan
AU - Wen Zhang
AU - Junxian He
AU - Hongyu Sun
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Frontiers in physiology
DO - 10.3389/fphys.2026.1908897
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908635
AB - Background Plants 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 Nine 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 R. 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 Extracts 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 https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251004228, identifier CRD420251004228.
SN - 1664-042X
ER -