OBJECTIVE -To determine whether addition of Salba (Salvia hispanica L.), a novel whole grain that is rich in fiber, ␣-linolenic acid (ALA), and minerals to conventional treatment is associated with improvement in major and emerging cardiovascular risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -Using a single-blind cross-over design, subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 37 Ϯ 4 g/day of Salba or wheat bran for 12 weeks while maintaining their conventional diabetes therapies. Twenty well-controlled subjects with type 2 diabetes (11 men and 9 women, aged 64 Ϯ 8 years, BMI 28 Ϯ 4 kg/m 2 , and A1C 6.8 Ϯ 0.9%) completed the study. This study was set in the outpatient clinic of the Risk Factor Modification Center, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.RESULTS -Compared with the control treatment, Salba reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 6.3 Ϯ 4 mmHg (P Ͻ 0.001), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (mg/l) by 40 Ϯ 1.6% (P ϭ 0.04), and vonWillebrand factor (vWF) by 21 Ϯ 0.3% (P ϭ 0.03), with significant decreases in A1C and fibrinogen in relation to the Salba baseline but not with the control treatment. There were no changes in safety parameters including liver, kidney and hemostatic function, or body weight. Both plasma ALA and eicosapentaenoic polyunsaturated fatty acid levels were increased twofold (P Ͻ 0.05) while consuming Salba.CONCLUSIONS -Long-term supplementation with Salba attenuated a major cardiovascular risk factor (SBP) and emerging factors (hs-CRP and vWF) safely beyond conventional therapy, while maintaining good glycemic and lipid control in people with well-controlled type 2 diabetes.
Despite strong correlations linking whole-grain consumption to reductions in heart disease, the physiological mechanisms involved remain ambiguous. We assessed whether Salba (Salvia Hispanica L.) whole grain reduces postprandial glycemia in healthy subjects, as a possible explanation for its cardioprotective effects observed in individuals with diabetes. The study used acute, randomized, double-blind, controlled design in which 11 healthy individuals (6 males and 5 females; body mass index 22.3 ± 2.8 kg/m 2 ) received 0, 7, 15 or 24 g of Salba baked into white bread. Capillary samples and appetite ratings were collected over 2 h after consumption. A dose-response reduction in postprandial glycemia (P ¼ 0.002, r 2 ¼ 0.203) was observed with all three doses of Salba, significantly decreasing incremental areas under the curve (iAUCs) and time point-specific blood glucose (Po0.05). Appetite ratings were decreased at 60 min after high, 90 min after high and intermediate and at 120 min after all treatments (Po0.05). Decrease in postprandial glycemia provides a potential explanation for improvements in blood pressure, coagulation and inflammatory markers previously observed after 12-week Salba supplementation in type II diabetes.
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