Background:Control of blood sugar, hypertension, and dyslipidemia are key factors in diabetes management. Cucurbita ficifolia (pumpkin) is a vegetable which has been used traditionally as a remedy for diabetes in Iran. In addition, consumption of probiotics may have beneficial effects on people with Type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was an investigation of the effects of C. ficifolia and probiotic yogurt consumption alone or at the same time on blood glucose and serum lipids in diabetic patients.Methods:Eighty eligible participants randomly were assigned to four groups: 1 - green C. ficifolia (100 g); 2 - probiotic yogurt (150 g); 3 - C. ficifolia plus probiotic yogurt (100 g C. ficifolia plus 150 g yogurt); and 4 -control (dietary advice) for 8 weeks. Blood pressure, glycemic response, lipid profile, and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were measured before and after the intervention.Results:Total cholesterol (TC) decreased significantly in yogurt and yogurt plus C. ficifolia groups (within groups P = 0.010, and P < 0.001, respectively). C. ficifolia plus yogurt consumption resulted in a decrease in triglyceride (TG) and an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (within groups P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively). All interventions led to a significant decrease in blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), hsCRP, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level within groups. Blood pressure decreased significantly in Cucurbita group and yogurt group (within groups P < 0.001, and P = 0.001 for systolic blood pressure [SBP] and P < 0.001, and P = 0.004 for diastolic blood pressure [DBP], respectively). All variables changed between groups significantly except LDL-C level.Conclusions:Variables including TG, HDL-C, TC, fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, SBP, DBP, and hsCRP changed beneficially between groups. It seems that consumption of C. ficifolia and probiotic yogurt may help treatment of diabetic patients.

Context: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide. In recent years, Cucurbita ficifolia intake has been identified as one of the most widely used herbal medications in treatment of DM. Since previous studies have suggested the benefits of C. ficifolia intake in treatment of DM, we reviewed available literature concerning effects of C. ficifolia on Type 2 DM. Evidence Acquisition: Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar were searched. Key words included type 2 diabetes, blood glucose, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and C ucurbita . After removing irrelevant article, ten articles were reviewed. Results: Studies reported beneficial effects of C. ficifolia on serum insulin and glucose level. Some of the studies showed a correlation between low level of lipid profiles and plasma glucose and increase intake of C. ficifolia . Although the exact role of C. ficifolia intake on DM has not been identified, the benefits might be due to the effects of active compounds such as flavonoids, alkaloids, polyphenolic components, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase. Conclusions: Cucurbita ficifolia intake might have useful effects on prevention and treatment of DM. C ucurbita ficifolia has beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and risk factors of DM; however, due to the small number of available studies, more researches are needed in this field.Keywords: Type II diabetes; Cucurbita; Hyperinsulinism; Hyperglycemia Copyright © 2014, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences; Published by DOCS. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ContextDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disorder of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism (1). This disease is characterized by high levels of blood glucose due to absence of insulin secretion or insulin resistance (2). Type 2 DM is due to decrease peripheral glucose uptake and increase blood glucose level. Since type 2 DM causes serious nervous system, renal, and ophthalmologic complications, its prevention and treatment has urgent priority. The prevalence of Type 2 DM is predicted to increase dramatically in the next few years. DM affects approximately 4% of the population worldwide and is expected to increase by 5.4% in 2025 (3). Moreover, DM is one of most common chronic disease in Iran. Its prevalence is 7% and 8% among Isfahan and Tehran residents, respectively (3).Traditional medicine is considered in treatment of numerous diseases, especially chronic diseases. Recent researches have shown the beneficial effects of herbs such as vegetable in the treatment of DM. In Asia, traditional medicinal plant, Cucurbita ficifolia (Cucurbitaceae), popularly known as pumpkin, is one of the most widely used herbal medications in treatment of DM (4) . In recent years, C. ficifolia intake is commonly used as antidiabetic and antihyperglycemic agent in ...