Researchers are planning a randomized controlled clinical trial to investigate the effect of green cardamom on individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular disease are significant contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide. They are often comorbid, and diabetes is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Complementary and alternative approaches to the management of chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease may improve the health-related outcomes and the long-term prognosis for individuals with these conditions.

Green cardamom is a spice in the ginger family that has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties. Some studies have suggested that it has lipid-lowering effects and that it might improve glucose metabolism, but not all studies support these claims. A group of researchers from Iran published an article in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine to describe an upcoming randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to investigate the effects of cardamom on parameters of diabetes control and oxidative stress in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

The researchers will randomly assign 80 overweight or obese participants with type 2 diabetes to either a cardamom group or placebo. Both groups will continue to adhere to their current regimen of diabetes care. In addition to their usual care, the participants in the intervention group will be asked to consume two capsules of cardamom at each meal, for a total of three grams daily, for ten weeks. The researchers will collect data, including HbA1C, insulin and fasting blood glucose levels, lipid profiles, and oxidative stress markers (e.g., sirtuin-1 and irisin), at the beginning of the trial and again after ten weeks of cardamom supplementation or placebo. They will also assess changes in body mass index, dietary intake, and physical activity levels.

According to the researchers, this study will be the first randomized controlled trial to assess the potential of cardamom as a safe and effective treatment for diabetes control. They further suggest that changes in oxidative biomarkers like sirtuin-1 and irisin among individuals assigned to the cardamom group may help to explain the mechanism through which cardamom exerts protective effects on measures of diabetes and lipid control.

Written by Suzanne M. Robertson, Ph.D

Reference: Aghasi, Mohadeseh, Shohreh Ghazi-Zahedi, Fariba Koohdani, Fereydoun Siassi, Ensieh Nasli-Esfahani, Ali Keshavarz, Mostafa Qorbani, Hoorieh Khoshamal, Asma Salari-Moghaddam, and Gity Sotoudeh. “The effects of green cardamom supplementation on blood glucose, lipids profile, oxidative stress, sirtuin-1 and irisin in type 2 diabetic patients: a study protocol for a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.” BMC complementary and alternative medicine 18, no. 1 (2018): 18.