International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research (IJVNR) is published by IMR Press from Volume 95 Issue 1 (2025). Previous articles were published by another publisher under a hybrid publishing model, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Hogrefe.
1 Talented Students Center, Students Research Committee, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
2 Professor of Nutrition, Nutrition Research Center, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
3 Students Research Committee, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
4 Assistant professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
5 Associate professor, Traffic Injury Prevention Research Center, Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
6 Associate professor of Radiology, Faculty of paramedical, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Abstract. In an attempt to investigate new strategies aimed at reducing risk factors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), effects of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) and chicory seed (Cichorium intybus L.) supplementation was evaluated in these patients. In this double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial, 92 patients with NAFLD aged 20–60 year with body mass index (BMI) ranged 24.9–40 kg/m2 was randomly assigned to 4 groups as follows. 1) Turmeric supplementation (3 g/d) (n = 23, TUR); 2) Chicory seed supplementation (infused 9 g/d (4.5 g /100mL)) (n = 23, CHI); 3) Turmeric and chicory seed supplementation (3 g/d turmeric + infused 9 g/d chicory seed (n = 23, TUR + CHI); 4) Placebo (n = 23, PLA). All intervention periods were 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples, anthropometric measurements, dietary records and physical activity were collected at baseline and at the end of the trial. Significant decreases were observed in BMI and waist circumference (WC) of subjects in CHI and TUR + CHI groups, compared with PLA group (p < 0.05). Combination of turmeric and chicory seed significantly decreased serum alkaline phosphatase level (p < 0.05). Serum levels of HDL-C increased considerably in TUR and TUR + CHI groups (p < 0.05 vs. placebo). Turmeric supplementation alone and plus chicory seed led to significant reduction in serum levels of TG/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio in TUR and TUR + CHI groups in comparison with placebo (p < 0.05). In conclusion, turmeric and chicory seed supplementation can be significantly useful in management of NAFLD risk factors.
Keywords
- chicory seed
- lipid profile
- nonalcoholic fatty liver
- obesity markers
- turmeric
