Role of herbs at the crossroads of metabolic syndrome and mental illness

Abstract

The potential use of herbs in treating and managing comorbidities is emerging. Mental illnesses (MIs) are a widespread cause of distress and dysfunction and substantially impact one's quality of life. While the precise reason for the onset of mental illness is elusive, several chronic health complications, including metabolic syndrome (MetS), affect an individual's well-being. Thus, it is beneficial to identify the intercepts and explore the role of herbs in combating MetS-associated MIs or vice versa. This study explores the relationship between Mets and mental illness and assesses which herbs may have properties that benefit both conditions. The research design and selection process were done among the mental disorder individuals with two sets of keywords and expanded controlled vocabulary phrases, nine databases for systematic literature searches, critical assessment of the papers obtained, and meta-analysis. Our findings suggest that the excess levels of inflammatory cytokines such as C-reactive protein, interleukin, and leptin resistance in MetS strongly correlate with MIs such as depression. The resulting cross-sectional pooled odds ratio was 1.75 (95% CI 1.60-1.92), indicating a strong relationship between Mets and MIs. This study provides an essential theoretical foundation for therapeutic options and prospective intervention methods for comorbid Mets and mental illness. Some herbs have a relevant effect in treating both cases, broadening the breadth of knowledge to guide future research on this topic.