The Effect of Garlic Tablet on Blood Glucose, and Lipid Profile in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial

Diabetes, as one of the most common endocrine disorders, has many different complications and outcomes. Some pieces of evidence proposed that garlic can be useful for diabetic patients due to its various compounds. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of garlic tablet supplement on fasting blood sugar (FBS), Glycated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c) and lipid profile levels in type 2 diabetic patients. This double-blind randomized placebo controlled trial was carried out at Imam Khomeini hospital in Tehran. The study sample consisted of 50 diabetic patients, who were randomly divided into two groups of 25 participants: placebo (PG) and garlic group (GG). The GG took three 400mg-garlic tablets and the PG group took 3 tablets similar to the garlic tablets per day after every main meal for 3 months. Lipid profile, HbA1c and FBS concentrations were measured before and after the intervention. There were not any significant differences in regard with age, gender and disease history between the two groups. After 3 months, the mean of FBS (from 155.23±36.47 to 140.57±44.18 mg/dl,pv=0.05) and HbA1c(from 8.6 %±1.04 to 7.27%±1.21,pv<0.001) decreased significantly in GG in comparison with PG. The mean of HDLc change in GG revealed a significant increase compared to PG (-2.03 vs. 1.76±6.96 mg/dl). Moreover, no other significant differences were observed in regard with other studied variables between the two groups. The findings of the present study revealed that daily consumption of three 400mg-garlic tablets in diabetic patients can lead to a decrease of FBS and HbA1c, in contrary to an increase of HDLc. As a result, garlic tablet supplement seems to be beneficial to complications control as well as treatment of diabetes.