Dietary Phytochemicals: Natural Swords Combating Inflammation and Oxidation-Mediated Degenerative Diseases
Table 2
Evidence of clinical trials with natural products attenuating oxidative stress and inflammation in patients with CVD, DM, and RA.
Number
Type of study
Number of participants
Age (years)
Intervention
Comparison/control
Period of intervention
Outcomes
Year [references]
Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
1
Randomized controlled crossover trial
30 (, )
Control, apple, spinach, and apple + spinach
Healthy control
4 weeks
All treatments showed higher flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) () and lower pulse pressure () and apple and spinach resulted in lower systolic blood pressure ()
Two lyophilized apples (40 g), polyphenol-rich and polyphenol-poor, providing, respectively, 1.43 g and 0.21 g polyphenols per day
Hypercholesterolemic
6 weeks
FMD did not differ between the polyphenol-rich and the polyphenol-poor apples, neither did the other cardiovascular disease risk factors (plasma lipids, homocysteine, and antioxidant capacity)
In phase 1, solid dark chocolate bar (containing 22 g cocoa powder) or a cocoa-free placebo bar. In phase 2, sugar-free cocoa (containing 22 g cocoa powder), sugared cocoa (containing 22 g cocoa powder), or a placebo
Healthy control
1 week
The acute ingestion of both solid dark chocolate and liquid cocoa improved endothelial function and lowered blood pressure in overweight adults
Standard metformin therapy with turmeric (2 g) supplements
Standard metformin treatment
4 weeks
Turmeric administered group significantly () reduced the lipid peroxidation, MDA, inflammatory marker, CRP, HbA1c, and fasting blood glucose levels and enhanced the total antioxidant status