Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by increased oxidative stress and a pro-inflammatory state. Vaccinium meridionale Swartz (known as “agraz”) is a berry rich in polyphenolic compounds with demonstrated antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects in preclinical studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of agraz consumption on inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in women with MetS. Forty women with MetS (47 ± 9 years) were randomly assigned to consume daily either 200 mL of agraz nectar or placebo over four weeks in a double-blind, cross-over design study, separated by a 4-week washout period. Metabolic and inflammatory markers in serum and antioxidant/oxidative stress markers in serum and urine were assessed at the end of each period. Serum antioxidant capacity measured by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method was significantly higher (p = 0.028), while urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) was lower (p = 0.041) after agraz consumption, compared to placebo. In conclusion, consumption of agraz during four weeks increased serum antioxidant capacity and decreased a marker of DNA oxidative damage in women with MetS, compared to placebo. These results suggest that agraz consumption may play a protective role in patients with MetS.
Highlights
The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of risk factors associated with obesity, hypertension, and insulin resistance (IR), which collectively increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes (T2D)
Since there are no previous studies in people consuming this fruit, the sample size estimation and the time of supplementation were based on data from two previous studies following a similar protocol as this study, in which blood pressure, plasma triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers were reduced significantly after grape supplementation, compared to placebo [38,39]
The of MetS, which is attributed in large part to the polyphenolic compounds present in these foods with consumption of agraz nectar for four weeks, compared to placebo, significantly decreased the oxidative marker 8-OHdG in the participants
Summary
(5-fold) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (2-fold) [1]. CVD is the leading cause of mortality in the world [2] and in Colombia [3]. The prevalence of MetS in most countries varies between 20% and 30%. In the adult population depending on the geographical location and the criteria used for diagnosis [4,5]. In the United States, the general prevalence of MetS is 33%, being significantly higher in women compared to men (35.6% vs 30.3%, respectively) [6]. In Colombia, there are no reports of MetS prevalence, but some studies have reported a prevalence between 12.3% to 41% in adults from different cities [7,8,9]; with a similar prevalence between men (39.3%) and women (40.7%) in Medellin [10].
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