Effect of turmeric on body measurement indices, glycemic condition, and lipid profile in hyperlipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common metabolic disorder worldwide and is accompanied by absolute or relative insulin deficiency، an increase in blood glucose، and disorders affecting carbohydrate، fat، and protein metabolism. The increase in blood fat and sugar in diabetic patients exacerbates the incidence of DM late-onset complications. Researchers have focused on herbal medicines to improve fat and sugar levels while decreasing side effects and possible inefficacy of synthetic drugs. This study assessed the effect of turmeric intake on glycemic status، lipid profile، and body measurement indices in hyperlipidemic patients with DM. This study was a double blind randomized clinical trial in which 80 hyperlipidemic patients with type 2 DM were surveyed. The patients were categorized into two groups of 40 subjects. The intervention group received 2100 mg of turmeric powder daily for 8 wk، the control group took a placebo over the trial period. Food intake، body measurement indices، insulin resistance index، and venous blood samples were collected in both groups at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. The average fasting blood sugar and levels of insulin، HbA1C، triglyceride (TG)، total cholesterol (TC)، LDL-c، HDL-c، apolipoprotein A1، and apolipoprotein B of serum were measured. Statistical analysis was done using paired and independent t-tests and the chi-square test. A total of 75 out of the original 80 participants completed the study. After 8 wk of intervention، the turmeric group showed significant decreases in BMI (p = 0. 000)، TG concentration (p = 0. 000)، and LDL-c (p = 0. 009). Significant differences were observed between the groups and between the means of two groups. (p < 0. 05). TC، HDL-c، and apolipoprotein A1 showed significant differences between the two groups at the end of the study (p < 0. 05). No significant changes were observed for average levels of blood glucose، serum insulin، hemoglycosylated hemoglobin، insulin resistance، and mean body weight. Turmeric powder intake improved the lipid profile and lowered the weight of patients with type 2 DM. There was no significant effect on glycemic conditions.