Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don and Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench infusions in reversing the traits of metabolic syndrome: a double-blind randomized comparative trial

Abstract

Regular consumption of Helichrysum italicum infusion improves body composition, while Helichrysum arenarium ameliorates lipid profile. Therefore, both hold great potential for the management of metabolic syndrome.

Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don and Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench Infusion Consumption Affects the Inflammatory Status and the Composition of Human Gut Microbiota in Patients with Traits of Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Comparative Study

“…Basal characteristics of the subjects assigned to both groups were discussed in [ 19 ]. Groups (HA vs. HI) were not significantly different at baseline with respect to age, sex, smoking habits, blood pressure, and anthropometry.…”

“…HI and HA infusions have recently been associated with a number of health benefits related to metabolic disease [ 18 , 19 ]. Specifically, consumption of HI infusion had a beneficial effect on body weight, visceral, and total body fat, while HA infusion had a more favourable effect on serum glucose levels and lipid profile [ 19 ].…”

“…Five participants did not meet the inclusion criteria, so the final study included thirty adults with at least two traits of metabolic syndrome. Sample size was calculated based on primary outcome as described [ 19 ], where inclusion and exclusion criteria are also reported. CONSORT flow diagram is shown in Figure 1 .…”

“…Thirty participants were randomly assigned to two groups—the Helichrysum arenarium (HA) group or the Helichrysum italicum (HI) group. Randomization with stratification was performed as described [ 19 ]. The study was conducted at the University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, between May and July 2021.…”

“…Infusions of Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don (also called immortelle or everlasting, abbreviated as HI) and Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench (sandy everlasting, abbreviated as HA) with plethora of polyphenols, such as hydroxycinnamic acids and pyrones, hydroxybenzoic acids, arzanol and flavonoids [ 16 , 17 ] exert beneficial effects for patients with obesity and MS [ 18 , 19 ]. We have recently shown that the intake of HI or HA has favourable but different effects on the traits of MS [ 19 ], where HI was more efficient in reducing body mass and fat mass, whereas HA efficiently reduced total and LDL cholesterol levels. In addition, a single ingestion of HI infusion increased fat oxidation and resting energy expenditure in healthy male participants [ 18 ].…”