Effect of Silymarin Supplementation on Glycemic Control, Lipid Profile and Insulin Resistance in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: Suboptimal glycemic control and insulin resistance are common situations in diabetes. This is associated with high risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications. Silymarin, an oral hepatoprotective herbal medicine with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, is suggested as an attractive candidate for the treatment of diabetes and its complications. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of silymarin as adjuvant therapy to standard anti-diabetic treatment on glycemic control, lipid profile and insulin resistance compared to standard treatment alone in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients and Methods: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo- Controlled, Single -Blinded, Pilot study was conducted. Forty patients were randomly assigned to receive either silymarin capsules 140 mg three times daily (n=20) or identical placebo capsules three times daily (n=20) for 90 days. Full clinical history and fasting blood samples were obtained to determine FBG , HbA1c, FSI, full lipid profile, MDA , hs-CRP levels as well as HOMA-IR at the beginning and at the end of the study. Results: Baseline and after 12 week FBG,HbA1c,FSI,TC, TG, LDL, VLDL, MDA, hs-CRP and HOMA-IR showed a highly significant difference among the 2 groups (p value < 0.001) . HDL level showed a significant difference in percentage of change (p value=0.009) among the study groups. Conclusion: Administration of 140 mg of silymarin thrice daily over 90 days showed a superior efficacy than standard treatment alone.