Journal of School of Public Health and

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Background and Aim: Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce inflammation in diabetic patients via special mechanisms. The objective the current study was to investigate the effects dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in type 2 diabetes patients.

Materials and Methods: This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 57 subjects with type-2 diabetes. The participants were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups receiving either an omega-3 fatty acid supplement (containing 1584 mg eicosapentaenoic acid, 828 mg docosahexaenoic acid, and 338 mg other omega-3 fatty acids) or a placebo tablet (containing 2100 mg sunflower oil) for a period of 8 weeks.

Results: The serum TNF-α  and IL-2 concentrations decreased significantly in the omega-3 fatty acid group in comparison with the placebo group (in both cases, p<0.01). The intervention did not bring about any statistically significant changes in the serum CRP concentrations.

Conclusion: Considering the beneficial effects of omega-3 dietary fatty acid supplements on the 2 inflammatory biomarkers, namely TNF-α and IL-2, type-2 diabetes patients are recommended to consume such supplements or foodstuffs rich in omega-3 fatty acids, e.g., fish.

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Background and Aim: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in Asia, including the Middle East. Vitamin D deficiency has been found to have an inverse relationship with occurrence of type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM). In this study we assessed the vitamin D and calcium status in type-2 diabetic patients and compared it with that of healthy subjects in Tehran, Iran.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 180 Tehrani individuals, including 95 DM patients, selected randomly from among the members of Iranian Diabetes Association, and 85 healthy subjects in Tehran, Iran. Age and gender were adjusted between the two groups. Serum levels of 25(OH)-vitamin D, calcium, phosphorous, and Parathormone (PTH), as well as weight, height and body mass index (BMI) were measured.

Results: The mean and SD age and BMI of the diabetic patients were 51.26 ± 11.18 years and 26.22 ± 9.30 kg/m², respectively the corresponding figures for the healthy subjects were 51.55 ± 13.39 and 26.26 ± 4.55. The prevalence of calcium deficiency was close in the 2 groups, it being 55.8% in the diabetic, and 57.0% in the healthy, subjects. The data also showed that while 26.3% of the patients suffered from a poor vitamin D status, only 18.6% of the healthy subjects had this problem.

Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among both type-2 diabetic and healthy subjects and should be considered a public health and nutritional problem in Tehran city, Iran.

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Background and Aim: Tomatoes are the richest source of lycopene, a potent antioxidant. Tomato products improve antioxidant defenses and reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases, at least partly due to the presence of lycopene. Lycopene, as an anti-inflammatory agent, prevents the production of inflammatory cytokines. Obesity is a chronic inflammatory condition in which the increased level of body fat leads to an increase in circulating inflammatory mediators. We hypothesized that the consumption of a lycopene-rich food would reduce inflammation in people with overweight or obesity.
Materials and Methods: One hundred and six overweight or obese female students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences were enrolled and randomly allocated to an intervention group (n=53) or a control group (n=53), consuming 330 ml/day of tomato juice or water respectively, for 20 days. At baseline and day 20, serum concentrations of interleukin-6, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-α and high sensitivity C-reactive protein were analyzed by ELISA and compared between groups.
Results: Serum concentrations of interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α decreased significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group and compared to the baseline. Subgroup analysis indicated that this effect was confined to subjects who were overweight. Among obese subjects, serum interleukin-6 concentration was decreased in the intervention group compared to the control group, with no observed differences in interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α.
Conclusion: Tomato juice reduces inflammation in overweight and obese females. Thus, increasing tomato intake may provide a useful approach for reducing the risk of inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, associated with obesity.