[Effect of vitamin c supplementation on fasting and postprandial oxidative stress, inflammatory markers and lipid profiles in type 2 diabetic patients]

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most wide spread endocrine disorders and among the most important developing health issues. This disease is associated with increased free radical production and decrease in antioxidant defense systems. In this study we evaluated the effect of vitamin C supplementation on fasting and postprandial oxidative stress, inflammatory markers and lipid profiles in type 2 diabetic patients. Thirty patients with type 2 diabetes [age range 25 to 65 years] were randomly divided into two groups, 1] treatment with vitamin C [1000mg/d] and 2] the placebo group. They were supplemented for 6 weeks, after which we measured malondialdehyde, IL-6, hs-CRP and lipid profiles in fasting and postprandial state [after a breakfast containing 80g fat, the same as the first day of the study]. Data analysis was carried out using Mann Whitney U test, with P<0.05 being significant by SPSS software version 11. Results showed a significant decrease in fasting [p=0.006] and postprandial MDA [p<0.001] in the vitamin C group compared to controls but there were no significant changes in inflammatory markers and lipid profiles in the fasting and postprandial states. This study suggests that short term vitamin C supplementation can decrease fasting and postprandial oxidative stress, and thereby possibly prevent diabetes complications.

[Prevalence of osteoporosis in rural men of Fars based on both local and WHO reference data]

Recently osteoporosis [OP] has emerged as a basic public health problem. It is characterized by low bone mass with micro architectural destruction of bone, resulting in increased bone fractures, morbidity and mortality. To evaluate the prevalence of OP using the local reference data of rural males of Fars and to compare it with WHO criteria, a total of 263 male adults, aged between 2-94 yrs, participated in this cross-sectional study. Bone Mineral Density [BMD] was measured by DXA. We utilized a fit curve method to determine the best age range over which to calculate Peak Bone Mass [PBM] and we used regression analysis for association of OP with age and Body mass index [BMI]. PBM was observed at the age range of 20-24 years, at the various sites. The prevalence of OP increased with age. It was negatively correlated with BMI and varied dramatically based on local versus WHO criteria. Based on local criteria, prevalence of OP in the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total femur were 3.8%, 24.8% and 14.8%, respectively, and based on WHO criteria, they were 10%, 6.1% and 24%, respectively. Using local or WHO reference values for evaluation of OP may yield different prevalences. Therefore prospective fracture studies in correlation with the two above reference values are recommended