Background: The current evidence-base regarding the effect of hesperidin (a flavanone found in citrus fruits) on body composition is equivocal.

Objective: We conducted a meta-analysis on the effect of orange juice and/or hesperidin supplementation on anthropometric measures in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Materials and methods: A systematic search of PubMed and Scopus was performed up to February 2020. The overall estimates and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model.

Results: Eleven eligible RCTs, with 512 individuals, were included in this study. The meta-analysis showed that orange juice and/or hesperidin had no significant effect on body weight [weighted mean difference (WMD) = -0.31 kg; 95% CI, -1.44 to 0.82, P = 0.592], body mass index [WMD = 0.11 kg/m²; 95% CI, -0.33 to 0.56, P = 0.617], fat mass [WMD = 0.14 kg; 95% CI, -0.95 to 1.22, P = 0.807], percentage body fat [WMD = -0.70%; 95% CI, -2.58 to 1.18, P = 0.463] and waist circumference [WMD = 0.07 cm; 95% CI, -1.16 to 1.30, P = 0.588].

Conclusion: The present study revealed that there is no significant beneficial effect of orange juice and/or hesperidin supplementation on anthropometric measures. The authors advocate that more high-quality clinical trials are needed to better discern the potential efficacy of orange juice and/or hesperidin.