The effect of barley savigh consumption on blood sugar among pre-diabetic postmenopausal women.

The hormonal changes in menopause predispose women to health risks, including type 2 diabetes. Therefore, diabetes prevention in this age group is important. Considering the fewer side effects of herbal medicines compared to chemical drugs, the present study investigated the impact of barley savigh consumption on blood sugar levels in pre-diabetic postmenopausal women. This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 64 pre-diabetic postmenopausal women referred to Community Health Centers in Gonabad city, Iran. The intervention group (n = 32) received 60 g of barley savigh daily (20 g before each meal), and the control group (n = 32) received no intervention. Fasting blood sugar (FBS) and blood sugar two hours post-prandial were checked in both groups at baseline and after two and four weeks. Data analysis was done using SPSS software (version 16) and chi-square, independent t-test, and Mann-Whitney tests at the significance level of p < 0.05. There was no significant difference in the mean FBS at baseline (109.31 ± 5.06 in the intervention and 109.03 ± 8.49 mg/dL in the control group, p = 0.904) and after two weeks after intervention (105.25 ± 5.92 in the intervention and 108.06 ± 8.75 mg/dL in the control group, p = 0.13), but the mean FBS after four weeks was significantly lower in the intervention (102.93 ± 7.75 mg/dL) compared to the control (107.90 ± 8.29 mg/dL) group (p = 0.019). The mean blood sugar two hours post-prandial was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group after two (127.53 ± 8.03 and 143.68 ± 26.46 mg/dL, respectively, p = 0.006) and four weeks (127.09 ± 17.96 and 142.46 ± 27.06 mg/dL, respectively, p = 0.009). The results of the present study showed that barley savigh consumption could improve blood sugar regulation in pre-diabetic postmenopausal women.Trial registration: The present study was conducted as a randomized clinical trial. The study protocol was approved by the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT code 20200929048880N1). Registration date (25/10/2020).