Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) reflects the overall antioxidants in the system, which typically decrease in response to organochlorine pesticide (OCP) exposure due to an increase in oxidative stress; however, some studies show contrasting results. Owing to the inconsistent findings reported from the studies concerning the association of the TAC in OCP exposed individuals, a meta-analysis is conducted. A systematic literature survey was conducted through Scopus, MEDLINE, and Web of Science, up to November 2025, to find relevant articles following the PRISMA guideline. The search resulted in 11 number of articles, with 07 clinical and 04 exposure-based case-control experiments. The pooled results showed a significant negative association of TAC with OCPs (p < 0.01; standardized mean difference of -1.68). Egger's regression revealed no significant publication bias among the studies. The sensitivity analysis encompassing all the studies indicated the absence of any significant changes in the statistics. Our findings indicated that the concentration of TAC was significantly lower in OCP exposed cases, as compared to the controls and/or unexposed counterparts. Also, this analysis calls for additional studies that can strengthen the said association.
Jena et al. (Thu,) studied this question.