Effects of raw red beetroot consumption on metabolic markers and cognitive function in type 2 diabetes patients

Mitra Aliahmadi; Fatemehsadat Amiri; Leila Sadat Bahrami; Agha Fatemeh Hosseini; Behnaz Abiri; Mohammadreza Vafa

doi:10.1007/s40200-021-00798-z

Effects of raw red beetroot consumption on metabolic markers and cognitive function in type 2 diabetes patients

J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2021 Apr 21;20(1):673-682. doi: 10.1007/s40200-021-00798-z. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Authors

Mitra Aliahmadi¹, Fatemehsadat Amiri¹, Leila Sadat Bahrami², Agha Fatemeh Hosseini³, Behnaz Abiri⁴, Mohammadreza Vafa¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
³ Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Paramedicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of raw red beetroot consumption on metabolic markers and cognitive function in type 2 diabetes patients.

Methods: In a quasi-experimental study, 44 type 2 diabetes patients (57 ± 4.5 years) consumed raw red beetroot (100 g, daily), for 8 weeks. Metabolic markers including body weight, glucose and lipid profile parameters, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, paraoxonase-1 activity, hepatic enzymes, blood pressure and cognitive function were measured at the beginning and end of 8 weeks.

Results: Raw red beetroot consumption resulted in a significant decrease in fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels (-13.53 mg/dL), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c)(-0.34%), apolipoproteinB100 (ApoB100) (-8.25 mg/dl), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (-1.75 U/L), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (-3.7 U/L), homocysteine (-7.88 μmol/l), systolic (-0.73 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (-0.34 mmHg), anda significant increase in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (105 μmol/L) and cognitive function tests (all P values <0.05). Other variables did not change significantly after the intervention.

Conclusions: Raw red beetroot consumption for 8 weeks in T2DM patients has beneficial impacts on cognitive function, glucose metabolism and other metabolic markers.

Keywords: Cognitive function; Metabolic markers; Raw red beetroot; Type 2 diabetes.