Protective and therapeutic effectiveness of taurine supplementation plus low calorie diet on metabolic parameters and endothelial markers in patients with diabetes mellitus: a randomized, clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Taurine supplementation as a sulfur-containing amino acid may attenuate and/or alleviate diabetes-induced complications and endothelial dysfunction via its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Our purpose was to investigate the effect of Taurine supplementation on endothelial dysfunction markers, oxidative stress, inflammation, and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: In the current clinical trial, 120 patients with T2DM were randomly allocated to take either Taurine (containing 1 g Taurine, n = 60) or placebo (n = 60) three times per day for an eight-week period. Moreover, all patients were on a low-calorie diet. The primary outcome was fasting blood glucose (FBG) and endothelial markers including sera intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM), and matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9). The secondary outcome was dietary intake, anthropometric indices, serum insulin and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), malondialdehyde (MDA), and lipid profile. RESULTS: After 8 weeks, Taurine-supplemented patients had a considerable decrease in serum insulin and HOMA-IR compared to placebo group. However, Taurine supplementation did not improve other metabolic parameters including lipid profiles, glycated hemoglobin, and fasting blood glucose (FBG). There was a significant decline in MDA, TNF, and hs-CRP levels after these eight-week period of Taurine supplementation. In addition, the Taurine group had fewer serum levels of endothelial dysfunction markers than the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence from our study revealed that Taurine supplementation significantly reduced insulin and HOMA-IR, as well as oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial markers in individuals with T2DM. Trial registration The protocol of the study was recorded in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20180712040438N3).

Mechanistic and therapeutic insight into the effects of cinnamon in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine diseases in the women at their reproductive age. Nowadays, the use of herbal compounds for lesser side effects, as compared to drug treatments, has become popular for the prevention and reduction of the complications of this disease. Evidence suggests that cinnamon, given its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, can be associated with reduced metabolic complications from chronic non-communicable diseases. This systematic review aimed to determine the potential effect of cinnamon on the metabolic status in the PCOS. PICO framework for current systematic review was Population (P): subjects with PCOS; Intervention (I): oral cinnamon supplement; Comparison (C): the group as control or administered placebo; and Outcome (O): changed inflammatory, oxidative stress, lipid profile, glycemic, hormonal and anthropometric parameters and ovarian function. PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, ProQuest and Google Scholar were searched from their very inception until January, 2020, considering specific keywords to explore the related studies. Out of 266 studies retrieved by the search strategy, only nine were eligible for evaluation. All clinical trials, animal studies, and published English-language journal studies were eligible for this review. The results showed that increased high-density lipoprotein and insulin sensitivity were increased by the cinnamon supplementation while low-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, and blood glucose were decreased in patients with PCOS. However, the results related to the potential effects of cinnamon on body weight and body mass index were inconsistent, thus calling for further studies. Also, despite improved results regarding the effect of cinnamon on oxidative stress and ovarian function, further studies are required to explore the precise mechanisms. Overall, the effects of cinnamon on the improvement of metabolic status in PCOS were promising. However, to observe clinical changes following cinnamon supplementation in PCOS, more clinical trials with higher doses of cinnamon and a longer duration of intervention are needed.

Effect of probiotic supplementation along with calorie restriction on metabolic endotoxemia, and inflammation markers in coronary artery disease patients: a double blind placebo controlled randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: Alterations in the gut microbiome (dysbiosis) has been associated with increased microbial translocation, leading to chronic inflammation in coronary artery disease (CAD). It has been proposed that modulation of gut microbiota by probiotic might modify metabolic endotoxemia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) on endotoxin level, and biomarkers of inflammation in CAD participants. METHODS: This study was a 12-weeks randomized, double-blind, and intervention on 44 patients with CAD. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either one LGG capsule 1.6 × 109 colony-forming unit (CFU) or the placebo capsules for 12 weeks. In addition, all the participants were also prescribed a calorie-restricted diet. Serum levels of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), were assessed before and after the intervention. RESULTS: A significant decrease in IL1-Beta concentration (- 1.88 ± 2.25, vs. 0.50 ± 1.58 mmol/L, P = 0.027), and LPS levels (- 5.88 ± 2.70 vs. 2.96+ 5.27 mg/L, P = 0.016), was observed after the probiotic supplementation compared with the placebo. Participants who had ≥2.5 kg weight loss showed significantly improved cardiovascular-related factors, compared to patients with < 2.5 kg weight reduction, regardless of the supplement they took. CONCLUSION: These data provide preliminary evidence that probiotic supplementation has beneficial effects on metabolic endotoxemia, and mega inflammation in participants with CAD.