J. Basic. Appl. Sci. Res., 5(9)38-42, 2015
© 2015, TextRoad Publication
ISSN 2090-4304
Journal of Basic and Applied
Scientific Research
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The Effects of Nigella Sativa Seeds and Honey Mixture on Lipid Profile:
Gender Comparison
Sarina Mohamad1, Hayati Mohd Yusof2, Nor Jana Salim3, Ruzana Omar4
1
Faculty of Applied Science
Faculty of Business Management
4
Academy of Language Studies
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Chendering, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
2
School of Food Science and Technology
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
3
Received: April 22, 2015
Accepted: July 30, 2015
ABSTRACT
This study attempts to investigate the effect(s) of a mixture of Nigella sativa seeds (N. sativa; black cumin or
fennel) and honey on males and females in modulation of lipid profile. Seventeen males and twenty-eight
females were assigned into two groups, healthy and hypercholesterolemic subjects. They were supplemented
with N. sativa seeds and honey mixture at 50 mg/kg of body weight daily for three months. Results showed the
male subjects with hypercholestrolemic evidenced significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC) and also
increased in HDL-c, whereby female subjects with hypercholestrolemic revealed reduction in triglyceride (TG)
and an increased in HDL-c. The results provided practical implications of N. sativa seeds and honey mixture on
both genders. Overall, these findings suggest that a mixture of N. sativa seeds with honey has beneficial effects
in lowering the lipid profile of the hypocholesterolemic subjects, thus perhaps aiding the maintenance of health
by lowering cardiovascular disease risk factors.
KEYWORDS: Hypercholesterolemia, Total Cholesterol, Triglyceride, Cardio Vascular Disease, Risk Factors,
Gender.
INTRODUCTION
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an endemic and chronic human disease that over the past century has
remained a common health problem globally [3]. According to World Health Organization [26], it is estimated
that 17.1 million people died in 2004 from CVD and that this rate will increase to 23.4 million by 2030. Hence,
CVD remains a leading cause of death in both developed and developing countries [7]. By 2020, it is expected to
be the main cause of morbidity and mortality in most developing countries [4].
In recent years, CVD is a leading killer in both men and women [22]. In [16] reported that CVD contributed
higher mortality in male. In 2012, in [20] mentioned by far CVD caused the largest mortality in females.
However, in [21] claimed CVD is the common disease that caused death in both male and female. Most of the
common risk factors of CVD increase with age in both genders [20]. The reason could possibly due to sex
hormones, estrogen and testosterone. This is due to the aging process itself, which has caused the physiological
changes in human metabolism and also changes in blood vessel walls that result in atherosclerosis development.
In addition, gender differences shown a certain CVD risk at the same age between a male and premenopausal
female. However, the risk increases in female after menopause due to the lack of ovarian hormone secretion that
caused CVD risk development such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity and diabetes [1].
According to [5], CVD is a preventable disease and it can be prevented through lifestyle changes,
particularly in modulation of CVD risk factors. Thus, in regards to the present study, the modifiable CVD risk
factor has been studied in both male and female is lipid profile which consists of TC, TG, HDL-c and LDL-c. It
has been noted that if a person has too much lipids in the blood (hyperlipidemia), it leads to the development of
coronary heart disease (CHD) [10]. Hypercholesterolemia is due to rise in LDL-c or dyslipidemia and low in
HDL-c are major risk factors contributing to the cardiovascular diseases [9, 11, 25]. Therefore, by modulating
the lipid profile in the blood is an important way to prevent the CVD occurrence. In [12] demonstrated that
reduction in TC reduced the incidence of cardiac events and high level in HDL-c is associated with CVD
protection due to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities [17].
The use of natural supplements for disease management is both commonly practiced and gaining more
attention. Thus, this study focused on the benefits of natural remedies in N. sativa seeds and honey mixture on
modification of CVD risk factors, especially to reduce the level of lipid profile. The seeds of N. sativa contain
both fixed and volatile oils [6, 8]. They are also rich sources of unsaturated fatty acids and quinones, especially
thymoquinone [2, 14]. N. sativa seeds have also been shown to improve blood lipid profile in human studies [15,
Corresponding Author: Sarina Mohamad, Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Chendering, Kuala
Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia, E-mail: [email protected]
38
Mohamad et al.,2015
23, 24]. Similarly, other human studies have reported that honey possesses beneficial effects on CVD risk factors
on blood lipid profile [18, 27]. Honey has also demonstrated lipid-lowering actions that probably due to the
activity of antioxidants in honey to control lipid metabolism [19].
In most studies, favourable effects derived from N. sativa seeds and honey have been reported separately.
No research has been attempted on the effects of a mixture of N. sativa seeds and honey in hypercholesterolemic
subjects as a secondary intervention on gender. Therefore, it was anticipated that the present study would provide
robust evidence in support of N. sativa seeds and honey in combination as a health supplement to both male and
female.
METHODOLOGY
Subjects Selection
Forty-five male and female subjects were enrolled in this study. All subjects were provided with full
disclosure via a subject information sheet. Inclusion criteria for healthy subjects were as follows; twenty-five to
fifty-eight years of age and no chronic diseases such as hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal
disorders, renal impairment or cardiac problems, not taking medications (lipid-lowering drugs, anti-diabetic,
aspirin), not taking any dietary supplements, not vegetarian, not a vigorous exerciser (no more than three times
for thirty minutes vigorous sessions per week), not pregnant or lactating, not a heavy smoker (< 10 cigarettes per
day), not a blood donor for at least three months, not planning to lose body weight and not participating in any
clinical trial for the last three months. This study was approved by the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Committee of Research which following the university’s ethical standards for human trials.
Study Design
An eligible subject provided a written informed consent form prior to initiating the trial, and each participant
was screened by a Health and Lifestyle Questionnaire. Baseline data for all participants was taken at the first
visit. Subjects were categorized into two groups: (1) a group of healthy subjects supplemented with a paste
mixture of N. sativa seeds and honey (male, n = 9; female, n = 13); and (2) a hypercholesterolemic
supplementation group (hypercholesterolemia, male, n = 8; female, n = 15), all of whom were supplemented with
the paste mixture of N. sativa seeds and honey. Subjects were required to consume the supplement daily
according to the dosage as instructed for three months (50 mg/kg of body weight). There is no placebo was used
for the control group where it was too difficult to mimic the unique taste and aroma of the paste. During the
supplemental period, subjects were advised to maintain their usual daily lifestyles. Each participant was
followed-up monthly to remind them to consistently consume the paste as instructed.
Data Collection and Measurements
Blood collection was carried out in the morning after an overnight fasting of at least 10 hours. About 40 µL
of whole blood was collected by using a capillary blood collector to determine total cholesterol (TC),
triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDLc) by using Lipid Panel Test Strips with the auto CardioChek P•A™ Analyzer (Polymer Technology System,
USA). The final data was collected during the second visit during which subjects were required to return the
remaining paste mixture, which was then weighed as a measure of compliance. Subjects who consumed less than
90% of the provided supplement were excluded from the final analysis. Of the forty-five subjects recruited, data
from forty-one was used for the final analysis.
All data were statistically analyzed with SPSS software version-18. A paired sample t-test and variance
analytics (one-way ANOVA) were applied. Data was presented with a mean (SD). In all cases, the ‘P’ value ≤
0.05 was taken to indicate a significant effect.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Based on the amount of returned N. sativa seeds and honey mixture paste for the supplemented groups,
compliance was high, at 98.8%. In addition, no adverse effects were reported by participants. Table 1 shows the
effects of supplementation on the lipid profiles according to gender for all the groups at the end of the study’s
intervention.
39
J. Basic. Appl. Sci. Res., 5(9)38-42, 2015
Table 1: Lipid profile at baseline and after three months supplementation according to gender
Parameter/Trial Group
Healthy Supplementation
(n = 20)
Male (n = 9)
Female (n = 11)
Total Cholesterol (mmol/L)
4.73 (0.43)
Baseline
4.52 (0.52)
Endline (after 3 months)
0.942 (8)
t-statistics (df)
0.374
P-value
HDL-c (mmol/L)
1.06 (0.34)
Baseline
1.18 (0.30)
Endline (after 3 months)
-2.001 (8)
t-statistics (df)
0.080
P-value
LDL-c (mmol/L)
2.80 (0.41)
Baseline
2.84 (0.47)
Endline (after 3 months)
-0.261 (8)
t-statistics (df)
0.801
P-value
Triglycerides (mmol/L)
1.91 (0.91)
Baseline
1.39 (0.52)
Endline (after 3 months)
2.048 (8)
t-statistics (df)
0.075
P-value
Ratio TC: HDL-c
4.78 (1.21)
Baseline
4.04 (0.71)
Endline (after 3 months)
1.939 (8)
t-statistics (df)
0.089
P-value
Data are presented in mean (SD)
*p < 0.05 indicate significant difference by Paired T-Test
Hypercholesterolemic Supplementation
(n = 21)
Male (n = 8)
Female (n = 13)
4.65 (0.30)
4.78 (0.62)
-0.751 (10)
0.470
6.00 (0.47)
5.46 (0.47)
4.016 (7)
0.005*
6.29 (1.30)
5.89 (0.80)
1.369 (12)
0.196
1.40 (0.30)
1.61 (0.31)
-3.692 (10)
0.004*
1.26 (0.32)
1.68 (0.27)
-3.387 (7)
0.012*
1.71 (0.44)
1.85 (0.43)
-2.624 (12)
0.022*
2.73 (0.44)
2.89 (0.43)
-1.384 (10)
0.196
4.00 (0.93)
3.47 (0.66)
2.350 (7)
0.051
4.06 (1.03)
3.77 (0.69)
1.080 (12)
0.301
1.16 (0.57)
0.92 (0.47)
2.852 (10)
0.017*
1.65 (1.34)
1.05 (0.45)
1.878 (7)
0.102
1.33 (0.89)
0.99 (0.45)
2.174 (12)
0.050*
3.46 (0.76)
3.06 (0.50)
2.028 (10)
0.070
5.03 (1.30)
3.41 (0.86)
3.687 (7)
0.008*
3.80 (0.78)
3.33 (0.89)
3.461 (12)
0.005*
A study shows the N. sativa seeds and honey mixture had pronounced effects on blood lipid profiles among
hypercholesterolemic group compared to healthy group. The consumption of N. sativa seeds and honey mixture
had shown a reduction in total cholesterol (TC) among hypercholesterolemic subjects. However, males had more
favourable effects compared to female in TC reduction. The supplementation showed a significant reduction (p =
0.005) of TC in males by 9% compared 6.4% in females. In agreement with the present study, a study done by
[13] found that blood lipid profile improved in male hypertriglyceridemic subjects than females in response to
consumption of oil with medium- and long-chain triglycerides after two months. Interestingly, after three months
of study, results had shown that health benefits of both genders among healthy subjects had been maintained TC
at normal level after consumption of N. sativa seeds and honey mixture.
The present findings seem to be consistent in females for both supplementation groups whereby significant
reductions of triglycerides (TG) were observed. This could be due to a protective effect of endogenous estrogen
in females. The level of estrogen in female subjects are still high due to the mean age in both groups are less than
39 years. In 2011, in [21] reported that estrogens affect multiple functions in the cardiovascular system including
regulation of synergistic pathways that are involved in development of CVD risk factors. The lowering in TG in
both supplementation groups might be due to the effect of nigellamines in N. sativa seeds. In addition, it is noted
that healthy supplementation group showed a significant HDL-c increment in females only, while in
hypercholesterolemic supplementation group, both females and males revealed a significant HDL-c
improvement in response to N. sativa seeds and honey mixture. The present findings had provided important
implications of health benefits associated with consuming N. sativa seeds and honey mixture in modulating the
CVD risk factors in terms of lipid profile.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The present results shown more significant cardioprotective effect based on lipid profile modulation for
both genders among hypercholesterolemic subjects as compared to healthy subjects. Thus, it clearly suggesting
that N. sativa seeds and honey mixture had a positive action in CVD management. This is an important finding
for further research whereby it might be possible to use a different dosage of N. sativa seeds and honey mixture
to identify the optimum dose at which the mixture could lower the lipid profile efficiently in order to prevent
further CVD events.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to thank Mr Zairi Ismael Rizman for his guidance and assistance in getting this paper
published.
40
Mohamad et al.,2015
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