Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study on the effect of Diabetinol(®) on glycemic control of subjects with impaired fasting glucose

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the efficacy of Diabetinol(®) in people with diabetes on medication but not meeting the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American Diabetes Association glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid targets. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifty subjects, aged 18–75 years, with fasting blood glucose ≤15.4 mmol/L, hemoglobin A(1c) levels ≤12%, and a body mass index between 25 and 40 kg/m(2), were enrolled in a 24-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study. Diabetinol(®) or placebo was administered as 2×525 mg capsules/day. RESULTS: In the Diabetinol(®) group, 14.3% versus 0% in the placebo group, 33.3% versus 15.4% in placebo, 20.0% versus 12.5% in placebo, and 83.3% versus 60% in placebo achieved the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American Diabetes Association targets for hemoglobin A(1c), low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure, respectively. There was no difference in the maximum concentration (C(max)) of serum glucose or area under the curve (AUC)(0–240 minutes). The time to C(max) was longer for participants on Diabetinol(®) than placebo group at week 12 (P=0.01). Fasting blood glucose increased from baseline to week 24 in both groups; however, this increase was 14.3 mg/dL lower in the Diabetinol(®) group versus placebo. The Diabetinol(®) group showed an increase of 5.53 mg/dL in fasting insulin at week 12 (P=0.09) and 3.2 mg/dL at week 24 (P=0.41) over and above the placebo group. A decrease of 1.5% in total cholesterol, 5.8% in low-density lipoprotein, and a 1.6% increase in high-density lipoprotein concentrations were seen in the Diabetinol(®) group. Diabetinol(®) improved 6-month oral glucose tolerance test and 2-hour postprandial glucose profiles in participants between 40 and 60 years of age. CONCLUSION: The current study suggests a role for Diabetinol(®) as an adjunctive therapy for glycemic maintenance and for decreasing the risk of diabetes-associated comorbidities in type 2 diabetic patients on conventional therapies.