Management of diabetic dyslipidemia with subatmospheric dehydrated barley grass powder

Diabetes is a chronic, potentially debilitating and often fatal disease. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing in all populations worldwide. The investigation was carried out to study the impact of barley grass powder (BGP) supplementation on the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism of stable type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects. A total of 59 stable type 2 diabetic subjects were enrolled in the study from pathology laboratories and divided into experimental (n=36) and control groups (n=23). BGP (1.2 g/day) in the form of capsules (n=4) was given to the experimental group subjects for a period of 60 days. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and lipid profile levels were monitored at baseline and at 60 days. Paired t test was applied using Microsoft Office Excel 2003. Supplementation with BGP resulted in a significant decrease in FBS, HbA1c, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (Non-HDL-C) and a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. In conclusion, the results obtained suggest that BGP holds promise to be used as a functional food to optimise the health of diabetic subjects.