Daily Consumption of the Capparis spinosa Reduces Some Atherogenic Indices in Patients with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized, Double-blind, Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Despite a number of studies on the effects of complementary medicine products, the effects of caper fruit pickle (CFP), as an Iranian traditional medicine (ITM), is not clear in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Objectives: The current study aimed at assessing the effect of the CFP on anthropometric measures and some atherogenic indices in patients with NAFLD. Methods: A 12-week randomized, controlled, double-blind trial was conducted on 44 patients with NAFLD via block randomization method assigned to either the control (n = 22) or the CFP (n = 22) groups, from March to October 2016 in Zanjan city, Iran. The CFP group received 40 - 50 g of the CFP with daily meals. Before and after the treatment, anthropometric measures, serum lipoprotein ratios and liver enzymes were assessed. Results: After 12 weeks, weight and waist circumference significantly decreased both in the CFP (P < 0.001) and control groups (P = 0.001 and P = 0.03), respectively. Adjusted to the baseline measures, a mean difference of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (P = 0.04), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL.C/HDL.C) (P = 0.001), triglyceride/HDL.C (TG/HDL.C) (P < 0.001) and total cholesterol/HDL.C (TC/HDL.C) (P = 0.001) decreased more significantly in the CFP than the control group at the end of the study. Conclusions: The current study results suggested that daily consumption of the CFP for 12 weeks may potentially prevent cardiovascular complications in patients with NAFLD. Further studies are needed to confirm the findings.