Fortified Persian yogurt may help heart

Vitamin D-fortified doogh -- Persian yogurt drink -- improved inflammatory markers in type 2 diabetics, Iranian researchers found. Lead author Tirang Neyestani of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran said inflammation is known to have a central role in the development of type 2 diabetes and its further complications of heart disease and stroke. Vitamin D benefits for skeletal health but evidence of an anti-inflammatory effect from clinical studies in humans remains scarce, Neyestani said. "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," Neyestani said in a statement. "The current study found that consuming a vitamin D-fortified yogurt drink also decreased serum substances like highly sensitive C-reactive protein which are known to have an inflammatory role." The researchers 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 bottles a day of either plain doogh, vitamin D-fortified doogh or calcium plus vitamin D-fortified doogh. "Our study showed for the first time that adiponectin, a substance secreted by fat tissue that has an anti-inflammatory effect, increased when calcium and vitamin D-fortified doogh was consumed," Neyestani said "Our findings may offer interesting therapeutic options for diabetic patients." The study was accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.