Dietary licorice improves carcass yield, hepatocellular protection, gut health, oxidative status, and cecal bacterial balance in broiler chickens.

Clinical Context

Peer-reviewed veterinary literature continues to shape everyday decision-making for production animal practice, especially when new evidence clarifies diagnosis, treatment selection, monitoring, or clinical outcomes.

What the Study Evaluated

A study published in Veterinary and animal science in 2026 evaluated dietary licorice improves carcass yield, hepatocellular protection, gut health, oxidative status, and cecal bacterial balance in broiler chickens..

Key Findings

Over the past decade, phytotherapy such as licorice has attracted research as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in broiler production, driven by rising concerns over antimicrobial resistance. However, the consistency of its effects across productive, physiological, and health outcomes remains inconsistent. This meta-analysis quantitatively synthesized published experimental evidence on the effects of dietary licorice on growth performance, carcass yield, blood indices, visceral organs, oxidative status, intestinal morphology, and cecal bacterial balance in broiler chickens. A systematic literature search identified studies...

Why It Matters for Veterinary Professionals

For veterinary professionals, the practical value of this work lies in how the findings may support more structured clinical assessment, clearer monitoring, and more informed decisions for production animal practice.

Practical Interpretation

The results should be interpreted in the context of the study design, population, inclusion criteria, and clinical setting. Application in practice should consider patient-specific risk factors, available diagnostics, local standards of care, and clinician judgment.

Clinical Takeaway

Overall, the study adds useful evidence for clinicians seeking to align daily practice with current veterinary research while maintaining a balanced, case-by-case approach.

• Read the full article here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42898128/