Combined cranberry supplementation and weight loss diet in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial

Abstract

A double-blind placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial was conducted on 41 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Participants were randomly allocated to receive either a cranberry supplement or a placebo for 12 weeks. Both groups were assigned to follow a weight loss diet. At the end of the study, alanine aminotransferase and insulin decreased significantly in both groups (p < .05); however, this reduction was significantly greater in the cranberry group than in the placebo group (p < .05). Significant improvements in insulin resistance were observed in the cranberry group and between the two groups (p < .001 and p = .020, respectively). Also, there was an improvement in steatosis grade and anthropometric measurements in both groups (p < .05), and there was no significant difference between the two groups in regard to these factors (p > .05). It seems that 288 mg of cranberry extract might improve managing NAFLD, which is equivalent to 26 g of dried cranberry.

Keywords:

• Cranberry
• non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• clinical trial

Acknowledgements

This study is part of a PhD thesis by MS Hormoznejad. The authors would like to express their gratitude for the Golestan Hospital of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by a Vice-Chancellor for Research Affairs of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences from [grant number NRC-9718].