EFFECTS OF ROYAL JELLY SUPPLEMENTATION ON LIPID PROFILE AND HIGH-SENSITIVITY C-REACTIVE PROTEIN LEVELS IN TYPE-2 DIABETIC WOMEN: A PILOT STUDY

The aims of this study were to determine the effect of royal jelly supplementation as a complementary therapy on lipid profile and hs-CRP levels in type 2 diabetic females. In this pilot randomized clinical trial, fifty female volunteers with type2 diabetes were assigned into the supplemented (n=25) and placebo (n=25) groups, given a daily dose of 1000 mg royal jelly soft gel or placebo, for 8 weeks. At the onset and the end of the study, serum lipid profile and hs-CRP levels were determined. Paired and independent t-tests were used for data analyzing. Royal jelly supplementation significantly decreased the mean serum triglyceride (129.95 +/- 32.02 vs. 108.95 +/- 28.64 mg/dl; P=0.01) and total cholesterol levels (203.35 +/- 14.39 vs. 191.20 +/- 32.15 mg/dl;. P=0.004) while in the placebo group the reduction levels were not statistically significant. The Mean HDL-c concentration was increased insignificantly in both groups. The mean hs-CRP level was reduced in the supplemented group whereas it was elevated in the placebo group; however, these changes were not statistically significant. In general, royal jelly supplementation improves fasting triglyceride, total cholesterol and hs-CRP levels in patients with type2 diabetes. However, further studies with larger sample size are needed to achieve more precise results.