Cardamom Decreases Inflammation in Overweight Prediabetic Women

by | Aug 24, 2017 | 2017, Botanicals, Pancreatic Health, Women's Health

Written by Tatjana Djakovic, Staff Writer. Of the eighty participating prediabetic Iranian women, those who supplemented with cardamom for 8 weeks had significant improvements in the inflammatory markers hs-CRP, hs-CRP:IL-6 ratio, and Malondialdehyde.

diabetesPrediabetes is a condition characterized by slightly elevated blood glucose levels and presents a higher risk of progression to Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.1 In the past three decades the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has risen dramatically in countries of all income levels, and for those living with diabetes, access to affordable treatment, including insulin, is critical to their survival.2 Previous research has suggested that certain anti-inflammatory spices such as cinnamon, ginger and turmeric may reduce the inflammation, insulin resistance and oxidative stress associated with prediabetes;3-5 however, to date, no research supports the use of green cardamom, also a common culinary spice with anti-inflammatory potential.6 Therefore researchers aimed to investigate cardamonnā€™s effects on inflammatory and oxidative stress indices in overweight and obese pre-diabetic women who are at risk of cardiovascular diseases.7

This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 80 pre-diabetic, overweight Iranian women over an 8-week period. The participants were divided into two groups: the intervention group (n=40) received a 3g capsule of cardamomdaily, the control group received a capsule containing an inert placebo of breadcrumbs. Serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor šœ¶, total antioxidant capacity,malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl, and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase activity were analyzed at baseline and following 8 weeks of cardamom supplementation.

At the end of eight weeks, study results showed significant improvements in the following inflammatory markers: hs-CRP decreased by 29% from 5.06 mg/L to 3.6 mg/L (p=0.02), hs-CRP:IL-6 ratio decreased by 39% (p=0.008) from 623.5 to 381.9 and MDA decreased by 19% from 7.3 ĀµM to 5.9 ĀµM (p=0.009) compared to the placebo group which had only marginal changes. There were no significant reductions in any other inflammatory markers that were measured.

This study was the first randomized clinical trial to investigate the effects of green cardamom on inflammatory markers in women at risk of developing diabetes. Although the study achieved significant reductions in some inflammatory markers, it did not achieve a significant reduction in all of the markers that were measured. In future studies, a higher supplementation dosage and duration of intervention may yield different results. Also the study was done on women only; therefore, the results cannot be applied to prediabetic men. However, the results are indicative that spices such as cardamom may be used as part of a healthy diet that has a positive effect on overall health, particularly on the risk of developing diabetes.

Source: Yaghooblou, Fatemeh, Fereydoun Siassi, Abbas Rahimi, Mahsa Ghavipour, Fariba Koohdani, and Gity Sotoudeh. “Cardamom supplementation improves inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in hyperlipidemic, overweight, and obese preā€diabetic women: A randomized doubleā€blind clinical trial.” Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2017).

Ā© 2017 Society of Chemical Industry

Posted August 24, 2017.

Tatjana Djakovic, MS, graduated from Roosevelt College in 2011, with concentration in biochemistry. Her research was in determining antioxidants and macronutrients in herbal teas. She is originally from Gospic, Croatia and currently resides in Carol Stream, IL.

References:

  1. CDC. Prediabetes. 2017; Overview of prediabetes. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/prediabetes.html. Accessed August 15, 2017, 2017.
  2. Organization WH. Definition and diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and intermediate hyperglycemia: report of a WHO/IDF consultation. World Hearth Org. 2006.
  3. Srinivasan K. Role of spices beyond food flavoring: Nutraceuticals with multiple health effects. Food Reviews International. 2005;21(2):167-188.
  4. Bhattacharjee B, Chatterjee J. Identification of proapoptopic, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-invasive and anti-angiogenic targets of essential oils in cardamom by dual reverse virtual screening and binding pose analysis. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention. 2013;14(6):3735-3742.
  5. Qin B, Panickar KS, Anderson RA. Cinnamon: potential role in the prevention of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Journal of diabetes science and technology. 2010;4(3):685-693.
  6. Shoelson SE, Herrero L, Naaz A. Obesity, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Gastroenterology. 2007;132(6):2169-2180.
  7. Yaghooblou F, Siassi F, Rahimi A, Ghavipour M, Koohdani F, Sotoudeh G. Cardamom supplementation improves inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in hyperlipidemic, overweight, and obese preā€diabetic women: A randomized doubleā€blind clinical trial. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2017.