In recent years, there is growing evidence that plant-foods polyphenols, due to their biological properties, may be unique nutraceuticals and supplementary treatments for various aspects of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this article we have reviewed the potential efficacies of polyphenols, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbenes, lignans and polymeric lignans, on metabolic disorders and complications induced by diabetes. Based on several in vitro, animal models and some human studies, dietary plant polyphenols and polyphenol-rich products modulate carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, attenuate hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, improve adipose tissue metabolism, and alleviate oxidative stress and stress-sensitive signaling pathways and inflammatory processes. Polyphenolic compounds can also prevent the development of long-term diabetes complications including cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy. Further investigations as human clinical studies are needed to obtain the optimum dose and duration of supplementation with polyphenolic compounds in diabetic patients.
Red beetroot (Beta vulgaris), as a naturally occurring root vegetable and a rich source of phytochemicals and bioactive compounds, is known for its beneficial roles in the improvement of several clinical and pathologic outcome. Chronic and acute beetroot juice supplementation, as a cost-effective strategy, is proposed to hold promises in controlling diabetes and insulin hemostasis, blood pressure and vascular function, renal health and the possible effect on microbiome abundance. The secondary outcome and physiological response of microbiome abundance modulation included the non- significant fluctuation of systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Also, some studies have suggested a reno-protective property of beetroot juice that is associated with the reduction of mortality rate and favorable changes in kidney’s functional parameters among patients with renal disorders. Similarly, it is shown that the persistent consumption of beetroot juice effectively postpones the postprandial glycemic response and decreases the blood glucose peak. The significant blood pressure lowering effect has been seen among normotensive subjects, which tend to be more considerable among hypertensive individuals and progressive among overweight adults.Within this context, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview on the therapeutic applications of beetroot juice in metabolic disorders and theirs underlying mechanisms. Despite the inconsistencies in the set of results from the reviewed studies, there is no doubt that further contributing factors must be investigated more deeply in future studies.
: The progressive development of clinical and public health nutrition has long relied on dietary clinical trials (DCTs), investigating the causal relationship between diet and multiple risk factors of non-communicable and chronic diseases. DCTs are also hallmarks for establishing dietary requirements and promoting overall nutritional health among the population. Despite their critical importance in translation into public health strategies and practices, DCTs have several limitations and challenges for study design, implementation and finding interpretation. The complex nature of nutrition interventions, collinearity between diet components, multi-target effects of the interventions, diverse dietary behaviors, and food culture are the most challenging issues. Furthermore, baseline exposure and dietary status, appropriate control groups, blinding, randomization, and poor adherence undermine the effectiveness of DCTs in translation into practices. Disruptive factors will be minimized if researchers are committed to following good clinical practice (GCP) standards available for common designs of clinical trials. Planning DCTs, however, needs careful considerations for hypothesis generation, study design development, the definition of primary and secondary outcome measures, and target population.
Background: There is growing evidence that dietary antioxidants could have favorable effects on the attenuation and prevention of metabolic disorders. In the current study we investigated the association of dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) components and the occurrence of the MetS during a 3-year follow-up. Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted in the framework of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study, between 2006–2008 and 2009–2011, on 1983 adults, aged 19–70 y. The usual intakes of participant were measured using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and dietary TAC was estimated at baseline. The MetS components were assessed at baseline and 3 years later. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the occurrence of the MetS and its components according to dietary TAC quartile categories. Results: The mean age of participants was 40.4 ± 13.0 y, and mean BMI was 27.03 ± 4.9 kg/m2 at baseline. After adjustment for potential confounding variables, TAC was associated with MetS components at baseline. Participant with highest TAC score had lower weight and abdominal fat gain during the 3 year follow-up. The chance of having the MetS, abdominal obesity and hypertension after 3 years decreased across the increasing dietary TAC quartile (P for trend < 0.01). Dietary TAC more than 1080 μmolTE/100 g of food, resulted in a 38% decrease in the risk of central obesity (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.38-0.99). Conclusion: We demonstrated that higher dietary antioxidant intakes have favorable effects on metabolic disorders and, more interestingly, prevent subsequent weight and abdominal fat gain during a 3-year follow-up.
1 June 2012 in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice