Efficacy of Ma'aljobon Aftimouni ( and Whey) on HbA1c and Blood Glucose Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Triple-blind Clinical Trial

Overview

Journal Contemp Clin Trials Commun

Date 2025 Jan 1

PMID 39742327

Authors

Fatemeh Mehrabi

Ali Safdari

Azam Moslemi

Mehdi Salehi

Ali Agharazi

Mohammad Reza Rezvanfar

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction And Objective: Type 2 Diabetes is a common and chronic metabolic disease. Complementary and alternative medicine can provide a suitable option for demands for new treatments. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of Persian medicine on the glycemic status of patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Method: This randomized, controlled, and triple-blind trial study was conducted from November 2021 to August 2022 on 102 diabetic patients referred to the diabetes clinic in Iran. In this regard, patients with inclusion criteria were randomly divided into three groups (n = 34), (n = 34), and the control group (n = 34). The control group received a placebo of medicinal salt, light calcium carbonate, lactose, and carboxymethyl cellulose. In contrast, the treatment groups received 25 g of drug powder (in 250 cc of lukewarm water) on an empty stomach for 8 consecutive weeks. Patients' fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels and HbA1c were measured at the beginning and end of the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23, employing paired t-tests, ANOVA, and chi-square tests for comparison between groups.

Results: Data analysis was conducted on 90 patients with Type 2 Diabetes. The findings revealed a significant reduction in fasting blood sugar levels post-intervention in the Ma'aljobon Aftimouni group (134.27 ± 21.79 vs. 152.3 ± 31.37, mean difference 18.03 ± 5.63, 95 % CI: 6.53 to 29.53, p = 0.003). Additionally, a significant difference in HbA1c values was observed post-intervention in both the Ma'aljobon Aftimouni group (7.88 ± 0.77 vs. 8.09 ± 0.73, mean difference 0.21 ± 0.09, 95 % CI: 0.03 to 0.39, p = 0.031) and the Ma'aljobon without Aftimoun group (7.97 ± 0.84 vs. 8.25 ± 0.78, mean difference 0.28 ± 0.08, 95 % CI: 0.11 to 0.45, p = 0.002).

Conclusion: The findings showed that daily consumption of Ma'aljobon supplements on an empty stomach before breakfast may have a beneficial effect on the glycemic indices of patients. However, further studies seem to be necessary in this regard.

Citing Articles

Effect of social media-based education on self-care status, health literacy, and glycated hemoglobin in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Safdari A, Nejat N, Abolfathi A, Mehrabi F, Rafiei F Front Public Health. 2025; 13:1507726.

PMID: 39902397 PMC: 11788279. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1507726.

References

Gaffney K, Lucero A, Stoner L, Faulkner J, Whitfield P, Krebs J . Nil Whey Protein Effect on Glycemic Control after Intense Mixed-Mode Training in Type 2 Diabetes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2017; 50(1):11-17. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001404. View

Jakubowicz D, Froy O, Ahren B, Boaz M, Landau Z, Bar-Dayan Y . Incretin, insulinotropic and glucose-lowering effects of whey protein pre-load in type 2 diabetes: a randomised clinical trial. Diabetologia. 2014; 57(9):1807-11. DOI: 10.1007/s00125-014-3305-x. View

Mortensen L, Holmer-Jensen J, Hartvigsen M, Jensen V, Astrup A, de Vrese M . Effects of different fractions of whey protein on postprandial lipid and hormone responses in type 2 diabetes. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2012; 66(7):799-805. DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2012.48. View

Rath D, Kar D, Panigrahi S, Maharana L . Antidiabetic effects of Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2016; 192:442-449. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.09.026. View

Derosa G, DAngelo A, Maffioli P . Change of some oxidative stress parameters after supplementation with whey protein isolate in patients with type 2 diabetes. Nutrition. 2020; 73:110700. DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2019.110700. View

Mehrbani M, Choopani R, Fekri A, Mehrabani M, Mosaddegh M, Mehrabani M . The efficacy of whey associated with dodder seed extract on moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015; 172:325-32. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.07.003. View

Miller E, Nowson C, Dunstan D, Kerr D, Menzies D, Daly R . Effects of whey protein plus vitamin D supplementation combined with progressive resistance training on glycaemic control, body composition, muscle function and cardiometabolic risk factors in middle-aged and older overweight/obese adults with type.... Diabetes Obes Metab. 2020; 23(4):938-949. DOI: 10.1111/dom.14299. View

Frid A, Nilsson M, Holst J, Bjorck I . Effect of whey on blood glucose and insulin responses to composite breakfast and lunch meals in type 2 diabetic subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005; 82(1):69-75. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn.82.1.69. View

Bungau S, Vesa C, Bustea C, Purza A, Tit D, Brisc M . Antioxidant and Hypoglycemic Potential of Essential Oils in Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications. Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(22). PMC: 10671358. DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216501. View

10.

Rahmatullah M, Sultan S, Toma T, Lucky S, Chowdhury M, Haque W . Effect of Cuscuta reflexa stem and Calotropis procera leaf extracts on glucose tolerance in glucose-induced hyperglycemic rats and mice. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2011; 7(2):109-12. PMC: 3021163. DOI: 10.4314/ajtcam.v7i2.50864. View

11.

Kim J, Noh W, Kim A, Choi Y, Kim Y . The Effect of Fenugreek in Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(18). PMC: 10531284. DOI: 10.3390/ijms241813999. View

12.

Donnapee S, Li J, Yang X, Ge A, Donkor P, Gao X . Cuscuta chinensis Lam.: A systematic review on ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional herbal medicine. J Ethnopharmacol. 2014; 157:292-308. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.09.032. View

13.

Firoozeei T, Barekatain M, Karimi M, Zargaran A, Akhondzadeh S, Rezaeizadeh H . Lavender and dodder combined herbal syrup versus citalopram in major depressive disorder with anxious distress: A double-blind randomized trial. J Integr Med. 2020; 18(5):409-415. DOI: 10.1016/j.joim.2020.06.002. View

14.

Navabzadeh M, Hashem-Dabaghian F, Shojaii A, Kazemi T, Hadinia J, Ghods T . The effect of a kind of whey protein (Ma'oljobon) on Insomnia: A randomized clinical trial. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2019; 34:275-279. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.01.001. View

15.

Parvizi M, Fadai F, Khodaei-Ardakani M, Amin G, Abdi L, Noroozi M . Effect of Acquainted with Risperidone on the Improvement of Clinical Symptoms and Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Triple-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Galen Med J. 2021; 8:e1334. PMC: 8343989. DOI: 10.31661/gmj.v8i0.1334. View

16.

Mostajeran Z, Mosavat S, Najafi M, Emtiazy M, Hashempur M . Whey Protein as a Complementary Therapy for Treatment of Attention-deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Randomized Open-label Controlled Clinical Trial. Galen Med J. 2021; 9:e1690. PMC: 8343698. DOI: 10.31661/gmj.v9i0.1690. View

17.

Kung B, Anderson G, Pare S, Tucker A, Vien S, Wright A . Effect of milk protein intake and casein-to-whey ratio in breakfast meals on postprandial glucose, satiety ratings, and subsequent meal intake. J Dairy Sci. 2018; 101(10):8688-8701. DOI: 10.3168/jds.2018-14419. View

18.

King D, Walker M, Campbell M, Breen L, Stevenson E, West D . A small dose of whey protein co-ingested with mixed-macronutrient breakfast and lunch meals improves postprandial glycemia and suppresses appetite in men with type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018; 107(4):550-557. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy019. View

19.

Alyasin S, Nabavizadeh S, Esmaeilzadeh H, Heydari S, Mosavat S, Parvizi M . Efficacy of oral supplementation of whey protein in patients with contact dermatitis: A pilot randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Dermatol Ther. 2020; 33(6):e14260. DOI: 10.1111/dth.14260. View

20.

Ma J, Jesudason D, Stevens J, Keogh J, Jones K, Clifton P . Sustained effects of a protein 'preload' on glycaemia and gastric emptying over 4 weeks in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized clinical trial. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2015; 108(2):e31-4. DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2015.02.019. View