Effect of Berberis vulgaris fruit powder on visfatin and metabolic profiles in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multifactorial disorder that is strongly associated with car-diovascular complications. Berberis vulgaris (B. vulgaris) is a traditional plant with anti-diabetic and anti-atherogenic properties. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of B. vulgaris on visfatin and meta-bolic profiles in T2DM. Methods: In this double-blind clinical trial, 40 patients with T2DM were randomized into two equal groups: i) 1000 mg B. vulgaris was administered at a dosage of 2 x 500 mg capsules daily (BFP group), ii) placebo was administered as 500 mg capsules containing lactose twice a day (PL group) for 8 weeks. Anthropometric pa-rameters, biochemical tests and serum visfatin levels were measured prior to and following the intervention. Results: The changes in the Total Cholesterol (P = 0.006), Triglyceride (TG) (P = 0.001), High-Density Lipo-protein-Cholesterol (HDL-C) (P = 0.001), Low-Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (LDL-C) (P = 0.004), LDL-C/ HDL-C (P = 0.001), TG/HDL-C (P = 0.001) and, Total Cholesterol/HDL-C (P = 0.009) between the two groups was significant at the end of trial. Moreover, visfatin was significantly changed following 8-weeks in the group receiving B.Vulgaris in comparison with the PL group (P = 0.01), based on ANCOVA. Conclusions: B. vulgaris supplementation appears to have favorable effects on lipid profile and serum visfatin in T2DM.