Effectiveness of a Food Supplement Based on Glucomannan, D-Chiro-Inositol, Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume and Inulin in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 16; no. 2; p. 249
• Main Authors: Citarrella, Roberto, Chianetta, Roberta, Amodeo, Simona, Mirarchi, Luigi, Licata, Anna, Soresi, Maurizio, Veronese, Nicola, Barbagallo, Mario, Giannitrapani, Lydia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 12.01.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: adiposity; Antidiabetics; blood lipids; blood serum; Body mass index; Body Weight; Cholesterol; Cinnamomum verum; Cinnamomum zeylanicum; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Drug therapy; FDA approval; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Generalized linear models; glucomannans; Glucose; glucose tolerance; Humans; hyperlipidemia; hypertension; Inositol; insulin; Insulin Resistance; Inulin; Lifestyles; lipid composition; Lipids; Mannans; Metabolic syndrome; Metabolic Syndrome - drug therapy; Metformin; myo-inositol; Nutrition research; Obesity; Patients; people; risk; Signal transduction; therapeutics; Triglycerides; waist circumference; Weight control; inulin; metabolic syndrome; T2DM; Cinnamomum zeylanicum blume; D-chiro-inositol; glucomannan
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu16020249

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, such as insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, hypertension and abdominal obesity. Given the growing need to investigate food supplements with positive health effects, this study was aimed at testing the benefits of a specific supplement for people with MetS. Fifty-eight subjects with MetS and T2DM or impaired glucose tolerance assuming metformin, were randomly assigned to take a food supplement of glucomannan, D-chiro-inositol, Cinnamomum zeylanicum blume and inulin at a daily fixed dose of 4 g orally for four months. Body weight, waist circumference, plasma lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyc-erides), plasma glycaemic profile and visceral adiposity index (VAI) were measured at baseline and after four months of supplementation. After 16 weeks, in subjects with T2DM or insulin resistance who took the supplement (+ metformin), there was a significant reduction in body weight and BMI (p < 0.0001), serum insulin (p < 0.05) and the HOMA index (p < 0.01), as well as in the lipaemic pattern, with a significant improvement in total serum cholesterol (p < 0.005), triglycerides (p < 0.03) and LDL (p < 0.02). Our study shows that the food supplement tested is a valid and safe alternative therapeutic approach in the management of MetS and all its resulting risk factors, as its efficacy has been demonstrated across anthropometric, glucose, lipid and hepatic parameters.