Investigating the prevalence of diabetic complications in overweight/obese patients: a study in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia.

Background: In Malaysia, although diabetes accounts for more than 70% of all deaths, it is unclear how it relates to BMI and diabetic complications. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of obesity and diabetic complications among diabetic patients in Malaysia. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study using an existing clinical registry was performed from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020 at Hospital Serdang, Malaysia. Adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had their medical records examined for disease complications, as reported by the patient at first contact with the DMTAC pharmacist. Results: The study comprised a total of 495 participants with an average HbA1c of 10.5%. About 91% (n = 451) of the 495 patients were obese/overweight. Around 37.8% (n = 187) of diabetic patients are between the ages of 50 and 59, and 59% (n = 292) have had diabetes for less than 10 years. A total of 8.5% (n = 42) and 9.7% (n = 48) consume alcohol and smoke, respectively. Around 29.9% (n = 148) had one other comorbidity (hypertension or dyslipidemia), and 63.4% (n = 314) had two comorbidities. Regarding the prevalence of complications, there were 18.9% (n = 94) who had myocardial infarction, 11.1% (n = 55) who had stroke, and 9% (n = 45) who had CKD. Age (adjusted OR = 1.03; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.07; p = 0.041) and hypertension (adjusted OR = 4.06; 95% CI 1.21 to 13.60; p = 0.023) were significantly related with the prevalence of complications in patients with diabetes. Conclusion: In our study, a BMI of more than 23 kg/m2 (obese/overweight) does not seem to be associated with the prevalence of complications. Age and hypertension, on the other hand, appear to be strong risk predictors of the incidence of complications. With the understanding of the recent outlook on diabetes, it is recommended that public education on the targeted population should be encouraged to negate these complications. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13410-022-01131-x.

General Health Benefits and Pharmacological Activities of Triticum aestivum L.

Common wheat (Triticum aestivum), one of the world's most consumed cereal grains, is known for its uses in baking and cooking in addition to its medicinal uses. As this plant's medical benefits are enormous and scattered, this narrative review was aimed at describing the pharmacological activities, phytochemistry, and the nutritional values of Triticum aestivum. It is a good source of dietary fiber, resistant starch, phenolic acids, alkylresorcinols, lignans, and diverse antioxidant compounds such as carotenoids, tocopherols and tocotrienols. These constituents provide Triticum aestivum with a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anticancer, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, hypolipemic, antioxidant, laxative, and moisturizing effects. This review summarized the established benefits of wheat in human health, the mode of action, and different clinical, in vitro and in vivo studies for different varieties and cultivars. This review also gives an insight for future research into the better use of this plant as a functional food. More clinical trials, in vivo and in vitro studies are warranted to broaden the knowledge about the effect of Triticum aestivum on nutrition-related diseases prevention, and physical and mental well-being sustenance.

Coriandrum sativum L.: A Review on Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, and Cardiovascular Benefits.

Coriandrum sativum (C. sativum), belonging to the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family, is widely recognized for its uses in culinary and traditional medicine. C. sativum contains various phytochemicals such as polyphenols, vitamins, and many phytosterols, which account for its properties including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and analgesic effects. The cardiovascular benefits of C. sativum have not been summarized before, hence this review aims to further evaluate and discuss its effectiveness in cardiovascular diseases, according to the recent literature. An electronic search for literature was carried out using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, preprint platforms, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Articles were gathered from the inception of the database until August 2021. Moreover, the traditional uses and phytochemistry of coriander were surveyed in the original resources and summarized. As a result, most of the studies that cover cardiovascular benefits and fulfilled the eligibility criteria were in vivo, while only a few were in vitro and clinical studies. In conclusion, C. sativum can be deemed a functional food due to its wide range of cardiovascular benefits such as antihypertensive, anti-atherogenic, antiarrhythmic, hypolipidemic as well as cardioprotective effects.