ABSTRACT
Background: This study was conducted to determine the effects of n-3 PUFAs supplementation on plasma homocysteine [Hcy] level, lipid profile and insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes [T2D]
Methods: This study is a double-blind controlled trial involving 70 patients with T2D selected from Yazd Diabetes Research Center in 2013. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 2 g/day omega-3 soft gels [OG] or 2 g/day placebo [PG] for 6 weeks. At the beginning and end of the study, Hcy concentration, fasting plasma glucose [FBG], fasting plasma insulin, total cholesterol [TC], triglycerides [TG], low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-c], high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-c], HDL-c/LDL-c ratio, insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], insulin sensitivity [IS] and beta-cell function were measured and compared
Results: Sixty five participants completed the study. The results of this study showed that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation caused significant increase in Hcy [P = 0.007] and LDLc [P = 0.02], while HDLc and HDLc/LDLc ratio were significantly decreased [P = 0.001 and 0.006, respectively]. In both groups, insulin and HOMA-IR were increased, while IS decreased significantly. BETAetacell function was increased only in OG [P = 0.005]. There was no significant difference in mean change of any factors
Conclusion: The present study found no beneficial effects of 2 g/day omega-3 supplement for 6 weeks on biomarkers of Hcy, FBG, insulin and lipid profile in th T2D patients
ABSTRACT
Background: Consumption of dark chocolate has been often hypothesized to have a role in the prevention of chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of consumption of dark chocolate [DC] on serum oxidative stress and blood pressure [BP] in patients with metabolic syndrome [MetS]
Methods: An 8-week parallel randomized clinical trial involving 114 patients with MetS was conducted on stable medication in 2014. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: 1] consume 40 g/d DC [40G], 2] consume 20 g/d DC [20G], and 3] consume no DC as the control group [CG]. BP, radical scavenging activity of 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH], and malondialdehyde [MDA] were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Results: Mean age, weight, and body mass index [BMI] of participants were 51.38 +/- 6.95 y, 77.34 +/- 12.86 kg, and 28.65 +/- 4.4 kg/m2, respectively. No significant differences were found among the three groups in relation to these variables after the intervention. The mean change of systolic blood pressure in 40G, 20G, and CG were 0.31 +/- 1.81, 0.37 +/- 1.65, and 0.26 +/- 1.56 mmHg [P = 0.3], respectively. These figures for diastolic blood pressure were obtained as 0.08 +/- 1.03, -0.02 +/- 1.12, and 0.22 +/- 1.03 mmHg. No significant changes were observed in MDA and DPPH between three groups
Conclusion: Even daily intake of 40 g of DC with 76% purity for an 8-week period had no effect on body weight, BMI, BP, and oxidative stress in patients with MetS