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BackgroundPreventing or slowing the progression of prediabetes to diabetes is a major therapeutic issue.ObjectivesOur aim was to evaluate the effects of 4-month treatment with a dietary supplement containing cinnamon, chromium and carnosine in moderately obese or overweight pre-diabetic subjects, the primary outcome being change in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level. Other parameters of plasma glucose homeostasis, lipid profile, adiposity and inflammatory markers were also assessed.MethodsIn a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 62 subjects with a FPG level ranging from 5.55 to 7 mmol/L and a body mass index ≥25 kg/m2, unwilling to change their dietary and physical activity habits, were allocated to receive a 4-month treatment with either 1.2 g/day of the dietary supplement or placebo. Patients were followed up until 6 months post-randomization.ResultsFour-month treatment with the dietary supplement decreased FPG compared to placebo (-0.24±0.50 vs +0.12±0.59 mmol/L, respectively, p = 0.02), without detectable significant changes in HbA1c. Insulin sensitivity markers, plasma insulin, plasma lipids and inflammatory markers did not differ between the treatment groups. Although there were no significant differences in changes in body weight and energy or macronutrient intakes between the two groups, fat-free mass (%) increased with the dietary supplement compared to placebo (p = 0.02). Subjects with a higher FPG level and a milder inflammatory state at baseline benefited most from the dietary supplement.ConclusionsFour-month treatment with a dietary supplement containing cinnamon, chromium and carnosine decreased FPG and increased fat-free mass in overweight or obese pre-diabetic subjects. These beneficial effects might open up new avenues in the prevention of diabetes.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01530685

these results suggest that BCMO1 and CD36 are implicated in plasma and retina concentrations of lutein and that genetic variants in these genes can modulate blood and retina concentrations of lutein.

Background and purpose Assessing patients’ disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) requires time‐consuming batteries of hospital tests. MSCopilot is a software medical device for the self‐assessment of patients with MS (PwMS), combining four tests: walking, dexterity, cognition and low contrast vision. The objective was to validate MSCopilot versus the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC). Methods This multicentre, open‐label, randomized, controlled, crossover study enrolled 141 PwMS and 76 healthy controls (HCs). All participants performed MSCopilot and MSFC tests at day 0. To assess reproducibility, 46 PwMS performed the same tests at day 30 ± 3. The primary end‐point was the validation of MSCopilot versus MSFC for the identification of PwMS against HCs, quantified using the area under the curve (AUC). The main secondary end‐point was the correlation of MSCopilot z‐scores with MSFC z‐scores. Results In all, 116 PwMS and 69 HCs were analysed. The primary end‐point was achieved: MSCopilot performance was non‐inferior to that of MSFC (AUC 0.92 and 0.89 respectively; P = 0.3). MSCopilot and MSFC discriminated PwMS and HCs with 81% and 76% sensitivity and 82% and 88% specificity respectively. Digital and standard test scores were highly correlated (r = 0.81; P < 0.001). The test–retest study demonstrated the good reproducibility of MSCopilot. Conclusion This study confirms the reliability of MSCopilot and its usability in clinical practice for the monitoring of MS‐related disability.