Effects of White Button Mushroom Powder on Anthropometric Indices, Blood Pressure and Liver Enzymes in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common metabolic disorders characterized by chronic hyperglycemia with impaired metabolism of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of white button mushroom (WBM) powder on anthropometric indices, blood pressure, and liver enzymes in type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM).

This double-blind clinical trial included 41 T2DM patients between 23 and 50 years of age. Patients were randomly divided into intervention (n = 19 mushroom powder) and placebo (n = 22 corn starch) groups. Patients received 16 g dried WBM powder or corn starch/day for 8 weeks.  Anthropometric indices, blood pressure, and liver enzymes were assessed at the baseline and at the end of our study. An independent sample t-test was used to compare quantitative variables between the two groups. Comparison of the mean values before and after treatment in each group was performed by means of paired T-test. p<0.05 was considered significant.

Comparison of the results at the baseline and after 8 weeks showed no significant difference in regard to weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and the waist-to-height ratio between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, the patients in the intervention group had a significant decrease in waist circumference and also lower weight at the end of the study compared to the baseline (P < 0.05). In addition, BMI reduction was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in relation to hepatic enzymes, systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the end of the study (P > 0.05).

This study showed that WBM had no significant effect on liver protection. However, improvement in anthropometric indices in the intervention group indicated the potential effect of WBM on reducing T2DM complications.