Effect of Cornus mas L. fruit extract on blood pressure, anthropometric and body composition indices in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A double-blind randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Obesity is linked to the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Patients with NAFLD are at increased risk for hypertension. Some investigations have hypothesized that Cornus mas L. fruit can improve obesity and hypertension. We investigated the effect of C. mas L. fruit extract on blood pressure, anthropometric and body composition indices in patients with NAFLD. METHODS: This 12-week double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted on fifty patients with NAFLD. Patients received 20 cc/d C. mas L. fruit extract or placebo. We measured diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), weight, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body fat mass (BFM), body fat percent (BFP) and fat free mass (FFM) before and after intervention. RESULTS: Treatment group compared to control group showed a significant reduction in DBP (-8.62 ± 11.86 mmHg vs. 0.53 ± 8.53 mmHg; Pcrude = 0.003; Padjucted = 0.03) and SBP (-8.63 ± 14.37 mmHg vs. 0.0 ± 12.67 mmHg; Pcrude = 0.02; Padjucted = 0.02). We found no difference between groups in weight, WC, HC, WHR, BFM, BFP and FFM (P > 0.05). After adjusting for confounding factors, a significant reduction was observed in treatment group compared to control group in BFM (-0.2 ± 3.9 kg vs. 0.7 ± 2.4 kg; P = 0.01) and BFP (-0.2 ± 4.9% vs. 0.8 ± 2.8%; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: C. mas L. fruit extract statistically reduced blood pressure and body fat. However, it had no effect on other anthropometric and body composition indices. Studies with larger sample sizes and higher dosages of extract are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered on 30/9/2018 at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT20180419039359N1 (https://www.irct.ir/trial/30707).

Effect of Cornus mas L. fruit extract on lipid accumulation product and cardiovascular indices in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A double-blind randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with high risk of cardiovascular diseases. The experimental studies have suggested that Cornus mas L. (cornelian cherry) fruit can improve cardiovascular risk factors. We designed a study to investigate the effect of cornelian cherry fruit extract on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with NAFLD. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Fifty patients with NAFLD were randomly assigned into the treatment and the control groups. The treatment group received 20 cc/d cornelian cherry fruit extract as liquid form and the control group received 20 cc/d placebo for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes included lipid accumulation product (LAP), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), Castelli risk index I (CRI-I), CRI-II and atherogenic coefficient (AC). RESULTS: At the baseline, there was no significant difference between two groups in values of LAP, AIP, CRI-I, CRI-II and AC. After the intervention, no significant change was found in the treatment group compared to the control group in LAP (-0.64 (-6.25 to 8.29) vs. 0.0 (-8.66 to 19.01); P = 0.91), AIP (0.0 ± 0.08 vs. 0.0 ± 0.1; P = 0.84), CRI-I (-0.18 ± 0.63 vs. -0.31 ± 0.49; P = 0.42), CRI-II (-0.23 ± 0.56 vs. -0.15 ± 0.32; P = 0.52) and AC (-0.18 ± 0.63 vs. -0.31 ± 0.49; P = 0.42). CONCLUSION: Cornelian cherry fruit extract has no effect on cardiovascular outcomes. Further studies with longer intervention durations are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered on 30 September 2018 at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20180419039359N1).

The effect of (Cornus mas L.) fruit extract on liver function among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver: A double-blind randomized clinical trial.

This double-blind randomized clinical trial aimed to investigate impact of Cornus mas L. fruit extract (CMFE) on liver function in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Fifty patients were randomly assigned into the CMFE and placebo groups to receive 20 ml of the extract or placebo for 12 weeks, respectively. Serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, cytokeratin 18 (CK-18) levels, and steatosis and fibrosis scores were examined before and after the intervention. Although, a significant decrease was observed in CK-18 levels among the CMFE group (288.80 ± 85.40 vs. 235.66 ± 60.38; p = .001) after 12 weeks, no significant difference was found between the two groups. Moreover, a significant increase in fibrosis score in the placebo group (8.20 (6.35-9.40) vs. 8.40 (7.70-13.00); p = .03) as well as a significant difference in this marker (CMEF: 7.64 (6.30-8.25); placebo: 8.40 (7.70-13.00); p = .02) and its changes (CMEF: 0.60 (-1.00-1.07); placebo: 0.80 (-0.25-3.95); p = .02) were found between the groups after 12 weeks. No significant effect was noted on other variables. Therefore, consuming CMFE might have some beneficial effects on liver function markers in NAFLD. However, more studies are required in this area.