ABSTRACT
This study examined the possible effects of lycopene at physiological dosage and body fat mass on the humoral immune response in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM]. A total of 35 patients with Typ2 diabetes mellitus from both sexes aged 54 +/- 9 yrs from the Iranian Diabetes Society were introduced into a double blind placebo controlled clinical trial conducted for 2 months. After a 2-week lycopene free diet washout period, patients were allocated to either lycopene supplementation group [10mg/d] [n=16] or placebo age- and sex matched group [n=19] for 8 weeks. Patients were instructed to keep their diets and physical activities as unchanged as possible. Lycopene supplements increased serum lycopene levels [p<0.001]. While intake of dietary energy and nutrients did not change in either groups, the ratio of total antioxidant capacity to malondialdehyde increased significantly in the lycopene group [p=0.007]. There was an inverse correlation between serum levels of lycopene and those of IgG [r= -0.338, p=0.008]. On the contrary, changes of serum levels of lycopene directly correlated with those of IgM [r=0.466, p=0.005]. Interestingly, changes of the amount of fat mass correlated directly with those of serum IgG [r=0.415, p=0.044] but inversely with of serum IgM [r= -0.469, p=0.021]. While truncal fat might promote adaptive humoral immunity, lycopene probably by inhibiting MDA-LDL formation might attenuate T cell dependent adaptive [pro-atherogenic] humoral immune response. These findings may have preventive implications in long term diabetic complications, notably atherogenesis