Okra supplementation may lower cardiovascular risk in prediabetes, T2D, diabetic nephropathy

Okra supplementation is beneficial to patients with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes (T2D), or diabetic nephropathy, conferring beneficial effects on lipid profile, diastolic BP, and inflammation markers, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for randomized controlled trials in which the effect of okra supplementation vs a control supplementation or placebo in adults with prediabetes, T2D, or diabetic nephropathy was examined. Outcomes included changes in C-reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides, and systolic and diastolic BP.

A total of eight trials were included in the meta-analysis. These trials were conducted in China, Indonesia, and Iran. The participants had an average age of between 40.8 and 62 years, with baseline BMI values ranging from 24.9 to 30.34 kg/m². Okra supplementation regimens varied in duration from 2 weeks to 3 months, with dosages ranging between 3 and 20 grams per day.

Pooled data showed that compared with control, okra supplementation was associated with significant reductions in total cholesterol (mean difference [MD], –14.16 mg/dL; p<0.001), LDL-C (MD, −8.51 mg/dL; p=0.009), triglycerides (MD, −15.43 mg/dL; p=0.022), diastolic BP (MD, –1.17 mm Hg; p=0.038), and CRP (MD, –2.28 mg/dL; p<0.001).

Okra supplementation exerted no significant effects on systolic BP and HDL-C.

The findings point to the potential of okra supplementation as an adjunctive therapy for reducing CVD risk in the study population, the researchers said.