Curcumin is well-known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as improving insulin resistance and delay the development of type II diabetes.
Similarly, fish oil, with its anti-inflammatory properties, has been studied for its effects in reducing the risk of diabetes.
On the other hand, low level of vitamin D level has been associated with increased blood glucose levels.
Writing in the Annals of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, researchers from Mahidol University and Rajavithi Hospital said that the three functional ingredients together, has shown to reduce the worsening of blood sugar levels in pre-diabetics.
They compared the effects of the three ingredients together with that of olive oil, which was the placebo of the trial, as well as that of only curcumin and fish oil.
A total of 47 pre-diabetic participants were randomised to the above three groups during the trial which took place at Rajavithi Hospital between July 2021 and February 2022.
They were required to take in one capsule of the test item that they were assigned to for 24 weeks.
All the test items, which came in soft gels, were prepared by Bangkok-based Orient Innovation Company.
The participants’ glycaemic status and progression to overt diabetes were measured using the 75 grams oral glucose tolerance test and other blood tests at the end of the trial.
Other parameters measured included changes in body weight, body mass index, and lipid profiles. The trial was funded by Rajavithi Hospital.
Results
Analysis showed that the progression of glycaemic status was significantly different between the three groups by the end of the trial, with it being the lowest in the group taking curcumin, fish oil, and vitamin D.
In this group, its progression of glycaemic status was 0.77 ± 1.17 lower, while for the curcumin and fish oil group, it was 0.19 ± 1.28 higher, and 0.64 ±1.82 higher for the placebo group.
Moreover, the two groups taking the intervention items also had lower number of participants with worsening glycaemic status.
By the end of the trial, the group consuming fish oil and curcumin had the lowest percentage of participants with worsening glycaemic status at 13.33 per cent.
This was followed by the fish oil, curcumin, and vitamin D group at 14.29 per cent, while the placebo was the highest at 31.25 per cent.
“We found that the glycaemic status at 24-week follow-up in the two intervention groups tended to be better than the placebo group. The numbers of the participants with worsening glycaemic status at 24-week follow-up in the intervention groups were lower than in the placebo group,” the researchers said.
“In conclusion, the combined dietary supplements containing curcumin-fish oil-vitamin D benefit beyond the progression of glycaemic status, prevent the risk of prediabetes progression to overt diabetes, and its minor adverse effect is well-tolerated in most people,” they concluded.
Source: Annals of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Effects of dietary supplementation on progression to type 2 diabetes in subjects with prediabetes: a single center randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
DOI: 10.29328/journal.acem.1001026
Authors: Niramitmahapanya S, Chattieng P, Nasomphan T, Sathirakul K.