Abstract
Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterised by a constellation of cardiometabolic risk factors including obesity, significantly increases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. MetS is associated with an increased generation of biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress which have been implicated in the progression of MetS to the more severe cardiometabolic diseases.
Aim: The aim of the study was to determine if supplementation with a micronutrient formula containing vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties, could attenuate inflammation and oxidative stress in individuals with MetS.
Methods: A double-blind randomised controlled trial was conducted with 72 participants diagnosed with MetS. Vitamin C plus other low-dose micronutrients were administered to the intervention participants, while the control participants received a placebo for 12 weeks. Each participant attended three clinic visits (weeks 0, 6, 12), during which biological samples (blood and urine) and anthropometric measurements were collected. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the concentrations of vitamin C in plasma, urine and leukocytes as well as the concentration of urate in plasma. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were used to measure inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α) and oxidative stress biomarker (F2-isoprostane) concentrations.
Results: There was a significant increase in the concentrations of vitamin C in both plasma and urine in the intervention group (two-way repeated measures ANOVA p < 0.05). However, the intervention group did not exhibit a significant decrease in the concentrations of either the inflammatory or oxidative stress biomarkers over time compared to the control group (two-way repeated measures ANOVA p > 0.05). Instead, close correlations were observed between the biomarkers and body weight (Pearson or Spearman r, p < 0.05), and body weight did not change over the duration of the study (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: Our study underscores the complexity of MetS and suggests that micronutrient supplementation alone may not be sufficient to mitigate inflammation and oxidative stress which appear to be closely linked to body weight. Further research is warranted to explore combination therapies that may help with weight control such as exercise with micronutrients or an anti-inflammatory diet to help manage MetS.