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The effect of barberry (Berberis integerrima) on lipid profile and systemic inflammation in subjects with
Hadi Emamat1, Ali Zahedmehr2, Sanaz Asadian2
1Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Purple-black barberry consumption significantly improved lipid profiles and reduced C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in individuals with cardiovascular risk factors. This functional food offers a promising dietary approach for managing cardiometabolic health.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Science
- Cardiovascular Health
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a significant global health burden despite medical advancements.
- Functional foods, rich in compounds like anthocyanins and berberine, show potential in managing cardiometabolic risk factors.
- Purple-black barberry is recognized for its high content of beneficial phytochemicals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of purple-black barberry consumption on plasma lipid profiles.
- To assess the impact of barberry on inflammatory biomarkers in individuals at risk for CVD.
- To evaluate barberry as a functional food for cardiovascular health management.
Main Methods:
- An 8-week, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial involving 84 participants with cardiovascular risk factors.
- Participants were assigned to consume either 10g/day of dried barberry or a placebo.
- Plasma lipid profiles (TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, sd-LDL-C, non-HDL-C, TC/HDL-C) and inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6) were measured at baseline and study end.
Main Results:
- Barberry consumption led to significant reductions in triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, sd-LDL-C, non-HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C.
- A significant decrease in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels was observed in the barberry group compared to placebo.
- No significant differences in body weight, BMI, physical activity, or dietary intake were noted between groups.
Conclusions:
- Purple-black barberry effectively improves lipid profiles in individuals with cardiovascular risk factors.
- Barberry consumption demonstrates anti-inflammatory effects by reducing CRP levels.
- This study supports the inclusion of barberry as a functional food for enhancing cardiovascular health.
Background:
Despite significant advances in the management of cardiovascular disease (CVDs), there is still a large burden of CVD in the world. The inclusion of functional foods in the diet may provide beneficial effects on CVD. Purple-black barberry due to its richness in anthocyanins and berberine has shown beneficial effects on cardiometabolic factors. We investigated the effects of barberry on plasma lipids as well as inflammatory biomarkers in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors.
Methods:
This was an 8-weeks, single-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial that the participants were randomly assigned to a barberry (10 g/day dried barberry) or placebo group. At baseline and end of the study, plasma lipid profiles including total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), small-dense LDL-C (sd-LDL-C), non-HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C, as well as inflammatory biomarkers including C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), were determined. An intention-to-treat analysis was performed.
Results:
Eighty-four participants were randomly assigned to study groups. The mean (± SD) participants' age was 54.06 ± 10.19 years. Body weight, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and dietary intake were not different between the two groups at baseline and the end of the study. After adjusting for baseline values, we observed a significant decrease in plasma levels of TG, TC, LDL-C, sd-LDL-C, non-HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C (p < 0.001, p = 0.011, p = 0.015, p = 0.019, p = 0.004, and p = 0.039 respectively) as well as CRP (p = 0.020) in the barberry group compared to the placebo group.
Conclusions:
Our results indicate that purple-black barberry consumption decreases plasma levels of CRP and improves lipid profile in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors.
Trial Registration:
This clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT number: NCT04084847 ).
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