Effects of Berberine, Cinnamon, and Fenugreek Seeds on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in Prediabetes and Diabetes: An Assessment of the Quality of the Clinical Trials
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Authors
Abdi, Ibsa
Issue Date
2021-12-15
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Health sciences - primary , Alternative medicine
Alternative Title
Abstract
The prevalence of diabetes is increasing globally. Although several anti-diabetic drugs are available to treat the disease, some patients with type 2 diabetes fail to achieve adequate glycemic control. Nutraceuticals may provide therapeutic potential and are widely used in integrative medicine. However, several clinical trials that evaluated the effectiveness of the anti-diabetic nutraceuticals have been inconclusive in their findings. This dissertation appraised the quality of the clinical trials that investigated the effects of berberine, cinnamon, and fenugreek seeds on glucose and lipid metabolism in prediabetes and diabetes. In addition, the effectiveness of the included nutraceuticals was assessed. Besides, ways to enhance the quality of clinical trials on nutraceuticals were suggested.
Five databases (UB Wahlstrom, PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Science Direct) were systematically searched for randomized controlled studies that investigated the effects of berberine, cinnamon, or fenugreek seeds on glucose and lipid metabolism. Thirty-three studies (7, 16, 10 on berberine, cinnamon, and fenugreek, respectively), involving 2,518 study participants, were retrieved. The studies were appraised for trial and reporting quality using the Jadad scale and the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Randomized Controlled Trials checklist. The effectiveness of the nutraceuticals was analyzed using the patient-intervention-comparator-outcome chart.
The results demonstrated that the quality of the clinical trials varied by the nutraceutical investigated. They included berberine, cinnamon, and fenugreek studies that had scores of 3.4, 3.2, and 2.3, respectively, on the Jadad scale. The berberine and cinnamon had acceptable scores, while the fenugreek studies had a low score, which is below the generally accepted score of 3 for a study of acceptable quality. The quality of the fenugreek trials is of such a low quality that they cannot be used in clinical decision-making.
The effectiveness varied by the nutraceuticals and the endpoints analyzed. The analysis revealed that berberine improved HbA1C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides levels. Berberine-related adverse reactions were reported mild and transient. The berberine trials may support clinical decision-making. The effects of cinnamon on glucose and lipid profiles were inconclusive. Randomized controlled clinical trials with emphasis on methodological and reporting quality need to be conducted to determine the effectiveness of these nutraceuticals.
Description
Citation
I. Abdi, "Effects of Berberine, Cinnamon, and Fenugreek Seeds on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in Prediabetes and Diabetes: An Assessment of the Quality of the Clinical Trials", Ph.D. dissertation, School of Health Sciences, Univ. of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT, 2021.