The incidence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) has been rapidly increasing during the last decade. It is a relevant health problem that affects 25% of the general population. NAFLD involves an extensive array of clinical conditions. So far, no approved pharmacological therapy for NAFLD has been developed. Multiple bioactive compounds have been proposed to treat NAFLD. One of the most promising is Berberine (BBR). Its pleiotropic effect positively impacts various cardiometabolic aspects. In this review, we summarize NAFLD, its metabolic and cardiovascular complications, the hepatoprotective effects of BBR due to its broad spectrum of pharmacological effects, and the potential role of BBR in NAFLD therapy. BBR ameliorates NAFLD by affecting numerous abnormalities. It inhibits lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis, improves insulin resistance and lipid profile, and modulates gut microbiota. The exact mechanism underlying these effects is not yet entirely explained. A growing amount of evidence confirming the positive effects of BBR on multiple metabolic pathways, such as lipids and glucose metabolism, energy homeostasis, or gut microbiota modulation, allows us to speculate about the importance of this natural bioactive substance for NAFLD therapy.

Introduction Carbohydrates are one of the macronutrients which have the most substantial influence on glycemic response. The cooling of rice after cooking causes retrogradation of starch, which becomes a non-absorbable product in the human digestive tract. Aim of the study This study aimed to assess whether cooling of rice affects postprandial glycemia in subjects with type 1 diabetes. Materials and methods The study included 32 patients with type 1 diabetes. Each participant of the study consumed two standardized test meals consisting of long-grain white rice. One of the test meals was served immediately after preparation, and another was cooled for 24 h at 4 °C after preparation and reheated before being served. Postprandial glycemia was measured for 3 h using the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system for each patient. Results After consumption of the test meal containing rice subjected to the cooling process when compared to fresh rice, a significantly lower value of maximum glycemia (11 vs. 9.9 mmol/L, p = 0.0056), maximum glycemic increase (2.7 vs. 3.9 mmol/L, p < 0.0001), areas under the glycemic curve (135 vs. 336 mmol/L * 180 min, p < 0.0001) and significantly shorter time to peak (35 vs. 45 min, p = 0.031) was observed. There was a significantly higher number of hypoglycemic episodes among the patients after consuming test meals with cooled rice compared to fresh ones during 180 min of observation (12(38) vs. 3(9), p = 0.0039). Conclusions Consumption of rice subjected to the cooling process results in a lower increase of postprandial blood glucose in subjects with type 1 diabetes. At the same time it increases the risk of postprandial hypoglycemia using a standard insulin dose.

Vaspin, a molecule produced in visceral adipose tissue, seems to participate in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders. The study aimed to determine the association of vaspin concentration with metabolic disorders in obese individuals. Forty obese patients and twenty normal-weight subjects underwent biochemical (fasting glucose, insulin, lipid profile, interleukin-6, hs-CRP, vaspin concentration), blood pressure, and anthropometric measurements. The HOMA-IR index was calculated. Serum vaspin concentrations in the obese group were significantly higher than in the control group (0.82 ± 0.62 vs. 0.43 ± 0.59; p < 0.001). Among the entire population, vaspin concentration was positively correlated with body weight, BMI, WHR, and the percentage and mass of adipose tissue. Positive correlations between vaspin concentration and triglyceride level, insulin concentration, and HOMA-IR value were found. Vaspin concentration was positively correlated with hs-CRP and IL-6 levels. In obese patients, positive correlations between vaspin concentration and the percentage of adipose tissue and hs-CRP level were demonstrated. Logistic regression analysis showed that increased BMI was the biggest factor stimulating vaspin concentrations (OR = 8.5; 95% CI: 1.18–61.35; p = 0.0338). An elevated vaspin level may imply its compensatory role against metabolic disorders in obese patients. Thus, vaspin appears to be a useful diagnostic parameter for new therapeutic approaches in obesity-related complications. Nevertheless, due to the small sample size, further studies are needed to confirm our results.

Background. Visceral adiposity index (VAI) is a mathematical formula based on routine anthropometric and biochemical parameters: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), triglycerides (TG), c-reactive protein (CRP) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). It reflects visceral adipocyte dysfunction. Its increase is strongly associated with obesity-related risk. VAI as a predictive marker of insulin resistance (IR) is proposed to be a valuable tool for identifying individuals at higher cardiometabolic risk. This study aimed to assess the applicability of VAI as an indirect IR marker and investigate the association of VAI and metabolic syndrome (MetS) components. Material and methods. The study comprised 157 individuals without MetS and 201 with MetS. All participants were female and >55 years old. The following laboratory analyses were performed: glucose, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), CRP, HDL, TG, and uric acid. Anthropometric parameters (height, weight, WC) and blood pressure (BP) were measured. The data obtained were used to calculate each participant's BMI and VAI. Based on the results, all subjects were divided into groups: Group A -without MetS, Group B -with MetS. Group B (with MetS) was additionally divided into groups C (without diabetes) and D (with diabetes). Results. Statistically significant differences in VAI, fasting glucose, CRP, HDL, and TG were demonstrated between the non-MetS and MetS groups. In group A, there were statistically significant and positive correlations between VAI and WC, serum uric acid and TG, while there was a negative correlation between VAI and HDL. In Group B, as well as in Group C, there were statistically significant and positive correlations between VAI and BMI, WC, serum uric acid and TG, while there was a negative correlation between VAI and HDL. In group D, there were statistically significant and positive correlations between VAI and serum uric acid, TC and TG, while there was a negative correlation between VAI and HDL. Conclusion. VAI seems to be a promising and easy-to-use primary care marker that effectively identifies individuals at high risk of cardiometabolic complications, especially with IR, unfavorable lipid profiles, and MetS accompanied by diabetes. The simplicity of VAI determination makes it a candidate for the detection of patients at risk of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular (CV) complications. Further long-term prospective studies are needed to verify the applicability of VAI in other conditions.

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