Abstract
Currently there is a trend of increasing chronic diseases in México related to lifestyle, where the health of the population is affected. Therefore, generating alternatives to confront this issue is essential. The present study focuses on the evaluation of an adaptogen mainly used to control stress, anxiety, and insomnia, despite limited evidence regarding its effectiveness on reducing certain biochemical parameters and anthropometric parameters, such as weight, Ashwagandha was chosen for this study. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a plant that has been used as part of Ayurvedic medicine for many years, and it belongs to the nightshade family. It has proven its ability to adapt to different situations such as physiological stress, promoting homeostasis. Its properties are attributed to its composition, containing bioactive compounds useful for preventing and treating certain conditions.Components such as alkaloids, flavonoids, withaferin, withanolides, among other substances, with antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, anticancer properties, among others. The present blind and randomized clinical study, included 34 participants divided into two groups of 17 people each. One group, called the experimental group, consumed a daily capsule containing 500 mg of Ashwagandha, while the other group, the control (placebo), who were given a capsule containing rice flour.
Additionally, isocaloric meal plans were designed to provide the necessary calories to maintain their body weight and therefore be able to observe the effects of supplementation with Ashwagandha. Biochemical parameters in blood such as: glucose, HDL, LDL, VLDL, total cholesterol and triglycerides, were evaluated before and after the supplementation.
After 40 days, values of total cholesterol 193.05 mg/dL and LDL-C 112.5 mg/dL significantly increased in the experimental group after the supplementation, compared to the control group or placebo. Other parameters did not show significant differences. Within the experimental group, HDL-C 53.54 mg/dL significantly increased, while the other parameters related to lipid metabolism decreased. On the other hand, in the comparison between the beginning and the end of the experimental group, total cholesterol= 193.05 mg/dL, LDL-C = 112.159 mg/dL, VLDL-C =29.91 mg/dL and TG= 152.07 mg/dL decreased, however, the only parameters that showed a statistically significant difference were total cholesterol and LDL-C. Finally, the body massindex (BMI) showed no significant difference between the experimental and control groups,since the average results were 29.32 kg/m2 in the supplementation group and 33.73 kg/m2 inthe control or placebo group.
Keywords: Withania somnifera; adaptogen; antioxidants; BMI; glucose, HDL-C; LDL-C;VLDL-C; triglycerides; total cholesterol; homeostasis.
| Date of Award | 5 Dec 2023 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Cindy Joanna Caballero Prado (Asesor) |
Keywords
- Withania somnifera
- adaptogen
- antioxidants
- BMI
- glucose
- HDL-C
- LDL-C
- VLDL-C
- triglycerides
- total cholesterol
- homeostasis