Impact of Dietary Intervention on Selected Biochemical Indices of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Nigerians with Metabolic Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Aim: This study assessed the impact of dietary modification on cardiometabolic, inflammatory and oxidative stress indices in Nigerians with metabolic syndrome (MS).
Subjects and Methods: Sixty participants with MS were selected using the International Diabetes Federation criteria from a cohort participating in “Risk Assessment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and Dementia in Nigerians with Metabolic Syndrome” study. The subjects were seen by a Dietitian and the approximate percentages of total calories from total protein, total fat, polyunsaturated fat, and carbohydrate were calculated from dietary history and pegged at 20%, 30%, 14% and 50% respectively. To ensure compliance, each participant was seen monthly (for 6 months) by the Dietitian. Glucose and lipid profile were determined using enzymatic methods. Serum activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and levels of nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), total protein and albumin were determined using spectrophotometric methods while high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and tumuor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were determined using ELISA. Student’s t-test (paired) and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for statistical analysis as appropriate. P-value <0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The mean blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), body fat, NO, hsCRP, H2O2, total protein and globulin were significantly reduced while the mean HDL, MDA, albumin and activities of CAT and MPO were significantly increased post-dietary modification compared with baseline.
Conclusion: Short-term dietary intervention improved cardiovascular risk, inflammation and oxidative stress indices in Nigerians with MS.