Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management (Nov 2016)
Protective effect of tartary buckwheat on renal function in type 2 diabetics: a randomized controlled trial
Abstract
Ju Qiu,1 Zaigui Li,2 Yuchang Qin,1 Yanfen Yue,3 Yanping Liu4 1Institute of Food and Nutrition Development, Ministry of Agriculture, 2College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, 3Department of Nutrition, Pinggu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Pinggu, 4Department of Nutrition, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China Abstract: Tartary buckwheat (TB) has been reported to be associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and T2DM has had a major impact on the development of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Thus, the hypothesis that a daily intake of TB will improve DKD risk factors, including urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR), urea nitrogen (UN), serum creatinine, and uric acid was tested. In a parallel, randomized, open-label controlled trial, 104 T2DM patients were randomly assigned to a diet control group (systematic diet plans and intensive nutritional education) or a TB intervention group (daily replacement of a portion of staple foods with TB foods). Blood samples and dietary information were collected at baseline and the end of the 4-week study. The primary outcomes were that TB significantly decreased the relative changes in UACR (2.43–2.35, logarithmic transformed mg/g creatinine) and UN (5.12–4.91 mmol/L) in the TB intervention group vs the diet control group at 4 weeks (P<0.05), without obvious effect on blood glucose during the 4-week study. In addition, subgroup analyses based on different DKD stages also showed a significant reduction in UACR and UN for the T2DM patients with normoalbuminuria and microalbuminuria (P<0.05). These results support the hypothesis that TB as a replacement of staple food probably alleviates renal dysfunction in T2DM patients. Keywords: tartary buckwheat, dietary intervention, type 2 diabetes mellitus, renal function
