Do symbiotic and Vitamin E supplementation have favorite effects in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

• Main Authors: Golnaz Ekhlasi, Roya Kolahdouz Mohammadi, Shahram Agah, Mitra Zarrati, Agha Fatemeh Hosseini, Seyed Soroush Soltani Arabshahi, Farzad Shidfar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2016-01-01
• Series: Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
• Subjects: Leptin; lipid profile; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; symbiotic; Vitamin E
• Online Access: http://www.jmsjournal.net/article.asp?issn=1735-1995;year=2016;volume=21;issue=1;spage=106;epage=106;aulast=Ekhlasi
• ISSN: 1735-1995; 1735-7136

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the world. Oral administration of symbiotic and Vitamin E has been proposed as an effective treatment in NAFLD patients. This study was carried out to assess the effects of symbiotic and/or Vitamin E supplementation on liver enzymes, leptin, lipid profile, and some parameters of insulin resistance (IR) in NAFLD patients. Materials and Methods: We randomly assigned sixty NAFLD adult patients to receive (1) symbiotic twice daily + Vitamin E-like placebo capsule; (2) 400 IU/d Vitamin E + symbiotic-like placebo; (3) symbiotic twice daily + 400 IU/d Vitamin E; and (4) symbiotic-like placebo + Vitamin E-like placebo for 8 weeks. Results: Symbiotic plus Vitamin E supplementation led to a significant decrease in concentrations of liver transaminase (P ≤ 0.05). Mean difference of apolipoprotein A-1 was more significant in symbiotic group compared to control. However, mean difference of apolipoprotein B100/A-1 was only significant in symbiotic group compared to control. At the end of the study, significant differences in total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were seen between the symbiotic plus Vitamin E and control groups (P < 0.001). Furthermore, intake of symbiotic plus Vitamin E supplements led to a significant decrease in concentrations of triglycerides (TG) after the intervention. Significant differences in leptin, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and insulin levels were seen between the symbiotic plus Vitamin E and control groups at the end of the study (P < 0.001). In contrast, symbiotic and/or Vitamin E supplementation did not affect high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and homeostasis model assessment for IR levels. Conclusion: In our study, symbiotic plus Vitamin E supplementation was the most effective treatment in lowering liver enzymes, leptin, FBS, insulin, TG, TC, and LDL-C among NAFLD patients.