Middle Eastern Yogurt Drink Boosts Diabetic Heart Health

CHEVY CHASE, Md.Daily consumption of the vitamin-D fortified Middle Eastern yogurt drink doogh may reduce the risk of heart disease in type 2 diabetics by decreasing inflammatory markers, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM). The findings may lead to future therapeutic options for diabetics.

Researchers at the University of Medical Sciences in Tehran conducted a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial over 12 weeks in 90 patients with type 2 diabetes. Study participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups to receive two 250mL bottles a day of either plain doogh, vitamin D-fortified doogh or calcium plus vitamin D-fortified doogh. Vitamin D levels, insulin resistance and inflammatory markers such as hsCRP, fibrinogen and adiponectin were measured in blood samples taken from study participants. The found that adiponectin, a substance secreted by fat tissue that has an anti-inflammatory effect, increased when calcium and vitamin D-fortified doogh was consumed.

Our previous research showed that improvement of vitamin D status by regular daily intake of a fortified yogurt drink resulted in lowered blood glucose levels in diabetic patients," said Tirang Neyestani, PhD, of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran and lead author of the study. The current study found that consuming a vitamin D-fortified yogurt drink also decreased serum substances like highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) which are known to have an inflammatory role."