BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus is the most prevalent endocrine disorder associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Considering the possible effects of sesamin, the most important sesame lignan, on the prevention of metabolic disorders leading to diabetes, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of sesamin supplementation on glycemic indices, serum levels of lipid profile and Malondialdehyde (MDA) in patients with type II diabetes.

METHODS: This double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 44 patients with type II diabetes referring to the endocrine clinic of Golestan Hospital in Ahvaz, Iran (IRCT: 2014061818134N1). Patients were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. Patients of the intervention group received a daily dose of sesamin (200 mg capsules), and control subjects were administered with an equivalent dose of placebo. Anthropometric indices, fasting blood sugar (FBS), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin level, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were evaluated before and eight weeks after the intervention.

FINDINGS: Comparison of different indices before and after the intervention indicated that sesamin significantly decreased the serum levels of FBS (138.59±36.89 versus 172.50±53.9 mg/dl) (p=0.016), HbA1c (7.51±1.14% versus 8.28±1.55%) (p=0.002), TC (141.50±29.03 versus 164.54±45.96 mg/dl) (p=0.015), and LDL-C (73.86±18.34 versus 89.22±32.96 mg/dl) (p=0.008) in the intervention group compared to the control group. Moreover, after eight weeks of sesamin treatment in the intervention group, a significant reduction was observed in TG (139.04±78.46 versus 168.31±68.45 mg/dl) (p=0.021), MDA (1.93±0.30 versus 2.21±0.55 µmol/L) (p=0.023), waist circumference (101.65±9.78 versus 103.77±10.84 cm) (p=0.006), and body adiposity index (34.90±5.68 versus 36.02±5.56) (p=0.000). No significant differences were observed in the other studied variables.

CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, daily administration of sesamin (200 mg) significantly improved the glycemic index, lipid profile, and serum MDA levels in type II diabetic patients. Therefore, sesamin could be effective in the prevention and control of type II diabetes complications.