---

Background and objective: Zinc (Zn) is an essential trace element found in a wide spectrum of metalloenzymes,. It participates in many metabolic processes, including normal metabolism of vitamin A. On the other hand, vitamin A affects zinc absorption and utilization. Recent investigation has shown that vitamin A plays a role in the secretion of insulin by the pancreas. There is evidence that the metabolism of zinc and vitamin A is altered in type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of simultaneous zinc and vitamin A supplementation on serum lipoproteins, apoproteins A-I and B and glycemic status in patient with type I DM. Materials and methods: Fifty-two 7-20 year-old patients with at least 2 years of DM history, not suffering from any other metabolic disease, and not taking any medicine, but under insulin treatment, participated in a 12-week randomized double-blind clinical trial. They were divided, ,after matching for sex, age and DM duration, into 2 groups: a Zn- and vitamin A-supplemented group (10 mg Zn-sulfate syrup per day and half of a 25000-IU vitamin A tablet every other day) and a control group (taking a zinc and vitamin A placebo). Forty-eight patients completed the study. Nutrients intakes were estimated using a 24-hour recall and analyzed by Food Processor III . The serum contents of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), triglyceride (TG), apoproteins B and A-I, fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were determined at the beginning and at the end of the trial. The independent sample t-test was used for comparisons between the two groups and the paired sample t-test was used to compare the differences between different time points in each group. A P-value £ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The final mean serum TC, TG, LDL-c, HDL-c, FBS, insulin, HbA1c and apoprotein B values were not significantly different between the 2 groups.As compared to the control value, only the apoprotein AI level significantly increased in the experimental group (p<0.0001). Conclusion: It seems that simultaneous zinc and vitamin A supplementation may increase the serum ApoA-I level, which can reduce the atherogenic risk factor in patients with type 1 DM.

---

Background and Objective: Type-2 diabetes is a major metabolic disease with many signs and symptoms, such as hyperglycemia disorders in protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and partial or total insulin deficiency. It is accompanied with pancreatic beta-cell malfunction, reduced insulin sensitivity, and systemic inflammation. There is some evidence indicating a role of vitamin D in maintaining glucose tolerance and normal secretion of insulin. The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of calcitriol on the plasma insulin and glucose levels in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus patients. Materials and Methods: Seventy subjects (35 males and 35 female) with type-2 diabetes, aged 30-75 years old, were divided into 2 groups – an intervention and a control group. The intervention and control groups received, daily for 12 weeks, two 0.25-mcg calcitrio-capsules (0.5 mcg calcitriol) and 2 placebo capsules, respectively. Fasting blood samples were taken at the beginning and at weeks 6 and 12 for measuring glucose, insulin, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C). Results: The fasting plasma glucose level did not change noticeably at weeks 0, 6 or 12 in the intervention group, while it increased significantly (p = 0.03) in the control group. The insulin level increased significantly in both the experimental (p = 0.002) and control (p = 0.0002) groups. Similarly, there were increases in the HbA1C concentration in the experimental (p = 0.013) and control (p = 0.0004) groups at week 12, as compared to baseline values. Also there was an increase in insulin resistance in both groups (p= 0.023 and 0.0001 for experimental and control groups, respectively). Finally, HOMA-%β, which is an indicator of the activity of the pancreatic beta-cells, remained unchanged in the controls, while it increased significantly in the experimental group (p = 0.009). Conclusion: Calcitriol at a daily dose of 0.5 mcg has no lowering effect on blood glucose in type-2 diabetic patients, although it may prevent its elevation. The findings further show that calcitriol dose not bring about a reduction in insulin resistance however, it improves pancreatic beta-cell functioning, thereby increasing insulin secretion. Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Calcitriol, Fasting glucose, Insulin resistance

---

Background and Objective: Type 2 diabetes Mellitus usually threatens the affected individuals by its both short- term and long-term complications.This study examined the possible effects of lycopene at physiological dosage and body fat mass on the humoral immune response in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A total of 35 patients with Typ2 diabetes mellitus from both sexes aged 54±9 yrs from the Iranian Diabetes Society were introduced into a double blind placebo controlled clinical trial conducted for 2 months. After a 2-week lycopene free diet washout period, patients were allocated to either lycopene supplementation group (10mg/d) (n=16) or placebo age- and sex matched group (n=19) for 8 weeks. Patients were instructed to keep their diets and physical activities as unchanged as possible. Lycopene supplements increased serum lycopene levels (p<0.001). While intake of dietary energy and nutrients did not change in either groups, the ratio of total antioxidant capacity to malondialdehyde increased significantly in the lycopene group (p=0.007). Results: There was an inverse correlation between serum levels of lycopene and those of IgG (r= -0.338, p=0.008). On the contrary, changes of serum levels of lycopene directly correlated with those of IgM (r=0.466, p=0.005). Interestingly, changes of the amount of fat mass correlated directly with those of serum IgG (r=0.415, p=0.044) but inversely with of serum IgM (r= -0.469, p=0.021). Conclusion:While truncal fat might promote adaptive humoral immunity, lycopene probably by inhibiting MDA-LDL formation might attenuate T cell dependent adaptive (pro-atherogenic) humoral immune response. These findings may have preventive implications in long term diabetic complications, notably atherogenesis. Keywords: Diabetes mellitus Type 2, Fat Mass, Immunity, Lycopene, Oxidative stress

---

Background and Objective: There are some reports of decreased serum levels of 25(OH)D in the subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Aim: To assess vitamin D status of the Iranian diabetics, a pilot study was conducted on 90 subjects with either type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) (n=30), T2DM (n= 30), or apparently healthy subjects (n= 30) during fall and winter of 2005. Materials and Methods: Serum samples were analyzed for 25-hydroxycholecalciferol using three different methods: high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), competitive protein-binding assay (CPBA) and radioimmunoassay (RIA). In this study serum levels of 25(OH)D were categorized as follows: sufficient ≥ 37 nmol/L 25 nmol/L ≤ mild deficiency < 37 nmol/L 12.5 nmol/L ≤ moderate deficiency < 25 nmol/L severe deficiency < 12.5 nmol/L. Results: Results showed that the occurrence of vitamin D insufficiency was almost the same in patients with T1DM and healthy controls. Mean serum level of 25(OH)D in patients with T2DM was significantly higher than in T1DM, as judged by HPLC (58.2 ± 8.5 vs. 35 ± 5 nmol/L, Mann Whitney U-Wilcoxon, P=0.024). Moreover, both CPBA and RIA showed some over-estimation of serum 25(OH)D compared to HPLC. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that, at least in the cold seasons, vitamin D status of the healthy subjects may not be higher than that of T1DM patients. Keywords: Vitamin D, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, Diabetes mellitus

---

Background and Objective: Tocotrienols have been demonstrated to play a significant role in preventing diabetic nephropathy due to their immunologic and inflammatory properties.The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a daily intake of canola oil enriched with 200 mg tocotrienol (T3)for 8 weeks on nitrosative stress, inflammation and urinary microalbumin in type-2 diabetic patients. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 50 patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (fasting blood sugar > 126 mg/dl) randomly divided into 2 groups of 25 each to receive, daily for 8 weeks, either 15 ml T3-enriched canola oil (200mg T3 experimental group) or 15 ml pure canola oil (control group). Initial and final blood samples were collected to measureserum hs-CRP and nitric oxide (NO)levels, and 24-hr urine samples to measure urinary volume and microalbumin and creatinine levels. Physical activity levels, anthropometric parameters and nutrients intakes were determined before and after intervention and compared between the 2 groups. Results: T3-enriched canola oil brought about statistically significant reductions in urinary microalbumin (p=0.004) and hs-CRP (p=0.003). Also, at the end of the study, the intervention group had significantly lower serum hs-CRP and urinary microalbumin than the control group. A nonsignificant decrease was observed in the serum NO level in the T3 group. Conclusion: Based on the findings it may be concluded that tocotrienols can improve the inflammatory status and prevent diabetic nephropathy. However, its effect on nitrosative stress needs furher investigation. Keywords: Tocotrienols, Nitrosative Stress, Microalbuminuria, Inflammation, type-2 Diabetes mellitus

---

Background and objective: Diabetes is a metabolic disorder associated with inflammation. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a natural compound that has recently been regarded as an anti-inflammatory substance. The present study assessed the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on blood pressure, inflammation, and lipid profile in type 2 diabetic patients. Materials and methods: Fifty-two subjects diagnosed with type 2 diabetes participated in a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: one received CoQ10 supplements )100 mg twice a day( and the other received two placebos for 8 wks. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was recorded for each participant before and at the end of week 8. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and at the end of the intervention after an overnight fast. These were analyzed for the inflammatory marker (hs-CRP) and lipid profile (triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C). Results: CoQ10 supplementation resulted in a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure over the control group (p = 0.001). A comparison of the parameters within groups demonstrated that systolic blood pressure decreased in the CoQ10 group (p < 0.001) and hs-CRP increased in the placebo group (p = 0.03). No changes were observed for lipid profile. Conclusion: CoQ10 supplementation may decrease systolic blood pressure in type 2 diabetic patients and may help prevent the elevation of inflammation in this group of patients. Keywords: Coenzyme Q10, Diabetes mellitus, Blood pressure, Inflammation, Lipid profile

---

Background and Objectives: Diabetes is a chronic disorder which is recognized by hyperglycemia and Different methods such as exercise, drugs and herbal medicines are used to treat and manage diabetes. The purpose of this study was to investigate hypoglycemic interactive effects of Coriander extract and endurance training in diabetic rats.
 Materials & Methods: Thirty-two diabetic rats were selected and divided into 4 groups ; (1) coriander extract( n =8), (2) endurance training( n =8),(3) coriander extract with endurance training( n =8),and (4) control ( n =8). Groups 1 and 3 received 100 mg / kg of coriander daily for 4 weeks, Also, groups 2 and 3 for 4 weeks, 5 sessions per week and 60 minutes each session ran on treadmill. To analyze the findings, Shapirovailk test, dependent t-test, one way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test were used (p ≤ 0.05).
Results: Four weeks of Coriander extract intake, endurance training and coriander extract with endurance training significantly decreased fasting glucose, insulin resistance and HbA1c in diabetic rats (p=0.001); Consumption of coriander extract with endurance training compared to coriander extract (p = 0.001) and endurance training
(p=0.03) had a greater effect on the reduction of fasting glucose in diabetic rats. Also, coriander extract with endurance training compared to coriander extract had a greater effect on reducing the HbA1c in diabetic rats (p=0.02).
Conclusion: Due to reduction of glycemic indexes, It seems that coriander extract with endurance training used for four weeks has hypoglycemic interactions in diabetic rats.