rasoul zarrin

Hypertension is one of the leading causes of mortality in the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels with markers of metabolic syndrome and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

This was a cross-sectional study on 171 adults (79 men) with primary hypertension and mean age of 50.70 ± 10.88 years, who did not take vitamin D supplement for the past 6 months. Subjects were divided into two groups as deficient (30 ng/ml ≥) and normal levels of vitamin D (30 ng/ml <) and compared for metabolic syndrome indices and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring parameters. Hypertension was defined based on Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC8) scale, and measured by an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring device. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring parameters were defined as 24-hour blood pressure (mean during 24 hours), daytime (6-23 hours), and nighttime (23-6 hours) measurements.

The mean vitamin D level was 30.43 ± 4.70 ng/ml, and 65.5% of patients had vitamin D deficiency. Serum vitamin D levels had an inverse and significant relationship with office systolic blood pressure (P = 0.001), and 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime systolic blood pressures (P < 0.001). Vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with higher levels of triglycerides (P < 0.001) and cholesterol (P = 0.016).

Vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher systolic blood pressure, nighttime diastolic blood pressure, and impaired serum lipid profiles.

Hypertension is one of the most serious global concerns since it has affected over 1.2 billion people.

The present study aimed to determine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, and lipid profile in hypertensive patients with vitamin D deficiency.

In this double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial study, 116 hypertensive patients (intervention and placebo groups, 58 each) with vitamin D deficiency (< 30 ng/mL with ECL) for 14 weeks, started from the beginning of autumn 2019 in Seyed-al-Shohada Educational Hospital in Urmia City. Fifty-five patients (49%) were male with the mean vitamin D 15.89 ± 5.09 ng/mL and 57 females with 17.29 ± 6.31 ng/mL. In a stratified blocked randomization scheme, the patients were randomly allocated into similar sized intervention and control groups based on body mass index (BMI), then the randomization with four block size was performed in each of strata by random allocation software. The intervention group received six doses of 50,000 IU vitamin D supplements for 6 weeks, then two supplements for two following months (one capsule per month). Blood pressure (24/h blood pressure measured by an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring device), vitamin D, FBS, and lipid profile (HDL, LDL, CL, and TG) were all measured at baseline and end of the study. Physical activity (measured by short IPAQ questionnaire), sun exposure using a questionnaire, dietary intake of vitamin D using three 24-hour recalls during the intervention, and anthropometric indices were measured at baseline, middle, and end of the study. Fifty-six patients in each group completed the study. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Urmia University of Medical Sciences (ethics code: IR.UMSU.REC.1398.192).

The office blood pressure, 24-h systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), nighttime SBP and DBP were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group, whereas the reduction of daytime SBP and DBP was not statistically significant. Vitamin D supplementation significantly decreased serum triglyceride, cholesterol, and LDL levels.

Vitamin D supplementation had positive effects on blood pressure, triglyceride, cholesterol, and LDL levels in patients with low serum vitamin D.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of infertility in women. In addition, the risk of type2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance is higher among women with PCOS. Psyllium can reduce the levels of fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin resistance, and lipid profile. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of psyllium supplementation on insulin resistance and the lipid profile in non-diabetic women with PCOS.

In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, 54 eligible non-diabetic women with PCOS aged 18-45 were recruited from an endocrinology clinic and divided into 2 groups based on their body mass index (BMI) through stratified-block randomization. Participants in intervention and placebo groups received 5 g of psyllium or cellulose microcrystalline twice a day for 8 weeks. Fasting insulin, FBS, and insulin resistance indicators including HOMA1-IR, HOMA2-IR, along with quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) and the lipid profile were evaluated before and after the intervention.

In the psyllium group, the FBS, fasting insulin, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), HOMA1-IR, and HOMA2-IR indicators decreased significantly (P<0.05) after 8 weeks, but the changes were not significant in the placebo group. The mean changes in LDL-C (0.28±0.58 and 0.11±0.67 in intervention and placebo groups, respectively, P=0.036) and QUICKI (0.01±0.03 and 0.02±0.06 in intervention and placebo groups, respectively, P=0.044) were significant between the two groups from the baseline.

Psyllium supplementation decreased FBS, fasting insulin, and the lipid profile while improving insulin resistance in non-diabetic women with PCOS.