Investigação do efeito da farinha da casca de Passiflora edulis f.flavicarpa Deg. (maracujá amarelo) em portadores de síndrome metabólica com diabetes mellitus tipo 2

Abstract

The Metabolic Syndrome (MS) has received attention of the health sectors not only by the large and growing number of individuals who suffer from this condition, but also by its clinical and laboratory manifestations, characterized by the union of several risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), among them, central obesity, hypertrygliceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, arterial hypertension, being the resistance to the insulin the common basis of those diseases. In addition to current drug therapy, the use of natural products such as dietary fiber mainly found in cereals, legumes and fruits has been demonstrating to be an alternative in reducing the risk factors for CVD and to improve the action of insulin in the use of the glucose by various tissues of the body. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of the flour of the yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Deg.) peel which is rich in soluble fiber (pectin) in the components of MS in patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. This was a phase II clinical trial with 43 volunteers with MS, aged between 57 and 73 years, of both genders. All of them were users of the health system of the mayor from the city of Campina Grande/PB and of the Pharmaceutical Care Program developed by Universidade Estadual da Paraíba. During 60 days, the participants daily made use of 30g of the flour of the yellow passion fruit peel. Some parameters were determined before and after the supplementation with the flour in all the patients of the study: fasting glucose and insulin, HOMA index, glycated hemoglobin, lipid fractions, in addition to anthropometry and blood pressure. The effect of the flour was analyzed through the difference found after the supplementation by analysis of the paired Student t test, comparing the differences in the whole population and between the genders at 30 and 60 days of the use of the food with health properties. The mean age of the patients was of 65.39 ± 8.41, being 65.6% of the feminine gender. Before supplementation, the majority of the diabetics were not able to maintain their glucose levels in the range considered normal; this fact possibly occurred due to lack of physical activity and diet control. After supplementation, there was a significant difference (p <0.05) in the values of Abdominal Circumference, Systolic and Diastolic blood pressures, glycemia, glycated hemoglobin and triglycerides. In relation to the total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, no statistically significant changes were observed, while the HDL cholesterol showed increases in its concentrations in a significant way. Although a significant reduction of HOMA IR in the supplemented group has been established, there was not alteration in the insulin values for the feminine gender. HOMA Beta showed significantly increase in its values in the study group. The results of this study showed that the supplementation used decreased not only the insulin resistance but also most of the components of MS in type 2 diabetic patients, suggesting a positive action to control blood glucose as an additional therapy of conventional treatments.