Effects of naringenin supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors in overweight/obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A pilot double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial.

Objective: Although several experimental models have suggested promising pharmacological effects of naringenin in the management of obesity and its related disorders, the effects of naringenin supplementation on cardiovascular disorders as one of the main complications of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are yet to be examined in human. Methods: In this double-blind placebocontrolled randomized clinical trial, 44 overweight/obese patients with NAFLD were equally allocated into either naringenin or placebo group for four weeks. Cardiovascular risk factors including atherogenic factors, hematological indices, obesity-related parameters, blood pressure, and heart rate were assessed pre-and post-intervention. Results: AIP value, serum non-HDL-C levels as well as total cholesterol/HDL-C, triglyceride/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, and non HDLC/HDL-C ratios were significantly reduced in the intervention group, compared to the placebo group post-intervention (P<0.05). Moreover, there was a significant reduction in BMI and visceral fat level in the intervention group when compared with the placebo group (P=0.001 and P=0.039, respectively). Furthermore, naringenin supplementation could marginally reduce systolic blood pressure (P=0.055). Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) increased significantly in the naringenin group compared to the placebo group at the endpoint (P=0.023). Supplementation with naringenin also resulted in marginally significant increase in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) when compared with the placebo group (P=0.050). There were no significant betweengroup differences for other study outcomes, postintervention. Conclusion: In conclusion, these data indicate that naringenin supplementation may be a promising treatment strategy for cardiovascular complications among NAFLD patients. However, further trials are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]