Effects of an Iranian traditional fermented food consumption on blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipid profile in type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Abstract

Ash-Kardeh is one of the few fermented foods without a dairy base in Iran, which is traditionally prepared from cereals and plants in the presence of microorganisms (mainly lactic acid bacteria). This study aimed to assess the effects of Ash-Kardeh consumption on blood glucose, lipid profile, and blood pressure in type 2 diabetic patients. Forty-six patients with type 2 diabetes were studied in this randomized controlled clinical trial. Subjects were randomly allocated into intervention (n = 23) and control (n = 23) groups. Individuals of both groups received the usual treatment of diabetic patients, while those in the intervention group, in addition to the usual treatment, received 250g of Ash-Kardeh daily for 6 weeks. Fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipid profiles were measured before and after the intervention. Compared to the control group, Ash-Kardeh consumption led to a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose (P = 0.003), total cholesterol (P = 0.025), triglyceride (P = 0.003), systolic (P < 0.001), and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.014) in the intervention group. Also, a significant increase in the concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.048) was observed after Ash-Kardeh consumption. It seems that Ash-Kardeh consumption could improve high blood glucose, lipid profile, and hypertension in type 2 diabetic patients but does not affect low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. This study was registered on 2019-09-15 in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials ( www.irct.ir ) with the code number IRCT20170202032367N3.