The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of Nigella sativa (NS) oil concurrent with a low-calorie diet on lipid peroxidation and oxidative status in obese women. In this double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, 50 volunteer obese (body mass index = 30-35 kg/m(2)) women aged 25-50 years old were recruited. Participants were randomly divided into intervention (n = 25) and placebo (n = 25) groups. They received a low-calorie diet with 3 g/day NS oil or low-calorie diet with 3 g/day placebo for 8 weeks. Forty-nine women (intervention group = 25; placebo group = 24) completed the trial. NS oil concurrent with a low-calorie diet decreased weight in the NS group compared to the placebo group (-4.80 ± 1.50 vs. -1.40 ± 1.90 kg; p < 0.01). Comparison of red blood cell superoxidase dismutase (SOD) indicated significant changes in the NS group compared to the placebo group at the end of the study (88.98 ± 87.46 vs. -3.30 ± 109.80 U/gHb; p < 0.01). But no significant changes in lipid peroxidation, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity concentrations were observed. NS oil concurrent with a low-calorie diet decreased weight and increased SOD levels in obese women. However, more studies are suggested to confirm the positive effects of NS in obesity and its complications.
Translocation of microbiome‐derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to the bloodstream (metabolic endotoxaemia) is associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD); however, the direction of this association is not fully understood. It has been revealed by some studies that alterations in the intestinal microbiota (dysbiosis) lead to increased intestinal permeability and translocation of LPS to the blood circulation. LPS may trigger toll‐like receptor 4‐ (TLR‐4) mediated inflammatory responses; this could lead to a chronic low‐grade pro‐inflammatory condition named metabolic endotoxaemia (ME), which is typically observed in CVD patients. ME is promoted by increased intestinal permeability. Moreover, dysbiosis leads to production of trimethylamine‐N‐oxide (TMAO), a gut bacterial metabolite suggested as a new risk factor in CVD development. Probiotics, extensively reviewed for decades, are live microorganisms which, when taken in adequate amounts, have beneficial effects on the host metabolism. Prebiotics are a type of dietary fibre that act as nourishment for the good bacteria in the gut and decrease the population of pathogen bacteria that produce greater amounts of endotoxins. Although an association has been postulated between ME and CVD, the results of studies investigating the role of antibiotic therapy in preventing the disease have been inconsistent. In this review, we discuss how prebiotics and probiotics modulate gut microbiota and consequently might help with prevention and/or treatment of CVD associated with ME.
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