# Effects of Propolis Supplementation on Metabolic Syndrome Indices, Isfahan, Iran, 2023: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

## TL;DR

This study found that adding propolis to a specific diet modestly increased HDL-C levels in people with metabolic syndrome, though other effects were not significant.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the potential of propolis supplementation to improve HDL-C levels when combined with a specific diet.

## Key findings

- Propolis supplementation combined with the MIND diet significantly increased HDL-C levels.
- No significant changes were observed in BMI, triglycerides, or waist circumference with propolis.
- The study was registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20230105057054N1).

## Abstract

Propolis is a resinous substance collected from plant buds and secretions by bees, possesses numerous medicinal and biological properties, including immune modulation, anticancer effects, antimicrobial activity, anti‐inflammatory properties, and antioxidant properties. This study aims to examine the effect of the propolis on metabolic syndrome (MetS) indices among patients with MetS.

This study as a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT), was conducted on patients with MetS who were referred to the Hazrat Ali Health Center in Isfahan. Fifty six eligible patients were classified into two groups. including MIND (The Mediterranean‐DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet + placebo and MIND diet + propolis. We evaluated the MetS indices (Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), waist circumference (WC), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglyceride (TG), and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C)). We used the Shapiro‐Wilk test to determine if the distribution of quantitative variables was normal. Quantitative variables were presented as either the mean with standard deviation (SD).

MIND + propolis group compared to MIND group showed nonsignificant decrease about body mass index (BMI) after adjusting variables 0.9 times (10%), 0.8 times (20%), respectively, and also showed nonsignificant decrease about TG by 0.9 times (10%), and also nonsignificant increase about WC and mean arterial pressure (MAP = [SBP + 2DBP]/3) by 1.03 times (3%) and 1.3 times (30%), respectively, and HDL‐C significant increased by 12.8 times.

Registration: The current study′s procedure received approval from the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (www.irct.ir) on 3/28/2023, with the registration reference IRCT20230105057054N1.

MIND + propolis group compared to MIND group showed significant increase HDL‐C. therefore; propolis increase significantly HDL‐C.