The Effect of Urtica Dioica Extract on Blood Lipids Profile in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Double-blinded Clinical Trial

Diabetes is an endocrine disorder that is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease. The use of alternative therapy has recently increased and medicinal plants are one of the alternative therapies for diabetic patients. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of Urtica dioica (Nettle) on lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

This parallel randomized double-blinded clinical trial was conducted on 60 men and women with T2D for an 8-week period. The participants were randomly assigned to received 100mg/kg/day extract of Urtica Dioica (UG) and the placebo group (PG). Blood triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) were measured at baseline and end of the study. The data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 and P < 0.05 was considered significant.

The mean difference of total cholesterol showed no significant difference in the UG compared to the PG which were -10.56±40.5 and -19.5± 35.9 (P = 0.14), respectively. The study also showed no significant difference between TG and LDLc in the UG compared to the PG (-39.8±171.5 vs. -23.37±72.3 (P = 0.68) and -3.16±33.4 vs. -11.2±35.6 (P = 0.15), respectively). The mean difference of HDLc in the UG and PG were -2.68±8.11 and 2.62±10.6 (P = 0.05), respectively, indicating a significant increase in the UG compared to the PG.

The results demonstrated that consumption of 100mg/kg/day extract of UD for 8 weeks by increasing HDL concentration can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with T2D.