The effects of wheat germ supplementation on metabolic profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract

The aim of the present trial was to examine the effects of wheat germ (WG) consumption on metabolic control and oxidative stress status of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Eighty participants with T2DM were randomly allocated to receive 20-g WG (n = 40) or placebo (n = 40) in a randomized double-blind clinical trial for 12 weeks. Serum lipid profiles, glycaemic indices, total antioxidant capacity, and malondialdhyde (MDA) were assessed. A total of 75 subjects completed the trial. Compared with the placebo, WG consumption led to significant reduction in total cholesterol (TC) concentrations (p = .04). There was a trend regarding TC to high density lipoprotein ratio (p = .08) following 12 weeks WG consumption, although they were not statistically significant after correcting for multiple testing. In addition, within-group comparison revealed a significant rise in total antioxidant capacity concentration (p = .001) in WG group. We observed no significant effects of WG intake on glycaemic status, blood pressure, MDA, triglyceride, and low density lipoprotein levels. WG consumption for 12 weeks could decrease serum TC levels and had no significant effects on other metabolic variables and MDA in patients with T2DM. Though observed health benefit effects were small, it might lead to a major impact on wider public health.