Effects of Nigella sativa oil with a low-calorie diet on cardiometabolic risk factors in obese women: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Obesity is typically associated with increased risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Therefore, a therapeutic approach that aims to control body weight and metabolic profile might be effective in preventing CVDs. We aimed to determine the effects of Nigella Sativa (NS) oil with a low-calorie diet on cardiometabolic risk factors in obese women. In this double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial, 90 obese women were recruited. Participants were females aged 25-50 years old with body mass index (BMI) between 30 and 35 kg m(-2). They were randomly assigned to receive a low-calorie diet with 3 g per day (1 g before each meal) NS oil or placebo for 8 weeks. Anthropometric indices, dietary intake and biochemical parameters were measured at the baseline and after the intervention. Eighty-four females completed the trial (intervention n = 43, placebo n = 41). Two groups were similar in the baseline characteristics. After the intervention, dietary intake was changed in both groups compared to the baseline, but the differences were not significant between the two groups. In the NS group, weight (-6.0 vs. -3.6%; p < 0.01) and waist circumference (-6.9 vs. -3.4%; p < 0.01) decreased significantly compared with the placebo group at the end of the trial. Comparison of biochemical parameters presented a significant decline in triglyceride (-14.0 vs. 1.4%; p = 0.02) and very low density lipoprotein (-14.0 vs. 7%; p < 0.01) levels in the NS group compared to the placebo group. NS oil concurrent with a low-calorie diet can reduce cardiometabolic risk factors in obese women. However, more clinical trials are needed to elucidate efficacy of NS as a complementary therapy in obese subjects.

Oxidative Stress Responses to Nigella sativa Oil Concurrent with a Low‐Calorie Diet in Obese Women: A Randomized, Double‐Blind Controlled Clinical Trial

“…Fatty acid concentrations of NS, sun flower oil and TQ content were determined by the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) technique (Nickavar et al , ) using the Buck Scientific model 610 system. Fatty acid and TQ measurement have been explained elsewhere (Mahdavi et al , ). TQ content of NS oil was 12.5%.…”

Review on Clinical Trials of Black Seed (Nigella sativa ) and Its Active Constituent, Thymoquinone

“…Some RCTs demonstrated that NS oil in combination with a low-calorie diet decreased weight in obese women in comparison to the placebo level [61, 62]. It also caused the superoxide dismutase (SOD) level to be elevated [61] and the TG and the LDL-C levels to be decreased [62]. …”

“…Therefore, a therapeutic approach that aims to control body weight and the metabolic profile might be effective in preventing CVDs [62]. The results of this review demonstrate that the use of NS may have a weight-lose effect in obese men and women.…”

Effect of the herbal medicines in obesity and metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of clinical trials

“…Besides, a significant decrease in appetite and increase in hunger was seen by P. vulgaris (with dose of 100 mg/day; Spadafranca et al, ), C. fimbriata (with dose of 1,000 mg/day; Kuriyan et al, ), spinach (with dose of 5,000 mg/day; Rebello et al, , Stenblom, Egecioglu, Landin‐olsson, & Erlanson‐albertsson, ), flaxseed (with dose of 2,500 mg/day; Ibrugger, Kristensen, Mikkelsen, & Astrup, ), fenugreek (with dose of 8,000 mg/day; Mathern, Raatz, Thomas, & Slavin, ), G. cambogia (with dose of 1,000 mg/day; Mayer et al, , Preuss et al, ), green coffee (Roshan, Nikpayam, Sedaghat, & Sohrab, ), and the combination simplicifolia , asiatica , Taraxacum officinale , Cynara Scolymus , Paullina Sorbilis , Alga Klamath (Rondanelli, Klersy, Iadarola, Monteferrario, & Opizzi, ), and a combination of G. cambogia and Amorphophallus konjac (Vasques et al, ; Figure ). Some other articles have shown that Gundelia tournefortii (Hajizadeh‐Sharafabad, Alizadeh, Mohammadzadeh, Alizadeh‐Salteh, & Kheirouri, ), Coleus forskohlii (Loftus et al, ), N. sativa (Mahdavi et al, ), Garcinia atroviridis (Roongpisuthipong, Kantawan, & Roongpisuthipong, ), C. fimbriata (Kuriyan et al, ), a combination of ephedra and caffeine (Hackman et al, ) as well as a combination of walnut and flaxseed (Wu et al, ) significantly reduces energy intake (Figure ).…”

“…Green tea (Diepvens et al, ), N. sativa (Mahdavi et al, ), C. fimbriata (Arora et al, ; Astell et al, ), and H. sabdariffa (Chang et al, ) decreased the WHR.…”