Folic acid effect on homocysteine, sortilin levels and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

AIM

The present study aimed to determine the folic acid supplement (FAS) effects on serum homocysteine and sortilin levels, glycemic indices, and lipid profile in type II diabetic patients.

METHOD

A double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial have been performed on 100 patients with T2DM randomly divided into two groups that received either placebo or folic acid 5 mg/d for 12 weeks.

RESULTS

FAS caused a significant decrease in homocysteine and sortilin serum levels (28.2% and 33.7%, P < 0.0001, respectively). After 3 months of intervention, 8.7% decrease in fasting blood glucose (P = 0.0005), 8.2% in HbA1c (P = 0.0002), 13.7% in serum insulin (P < 0.0001) and 21.7% in insulin resistance (P < 0.0001) were found in the folic acid group, however no significant difference was observed in the placebo group. Serum hs-CRP level showed significant positive associations with sortilin (r = 0.237, P = 0.018), homocysteine (r = 0.308, P = 0.002) and fasting blood glucose (r = 0.342, P = 0.000). There were no significant changes in lipid profile in both groups after 12 weeks.

CONCLUSION

FAS might be beneficial for reducing homocysteine and sortilin levels, enhancing glycemic control, and improved insulin resistance in patients with T2DM.