<i>Rhus coriaria</i> L. (Sumac) in Patients Who Are Overweight or Have Obesity: A Placebo-Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: The study was designed to examine the efficacy and safety of Rhus coriaria L. (Sumac) supplementation in patients who are overweight or obese. Methods: The study was designed as a parallel two-arm, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted in an endocrinology clinical affiliated by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences at 2016. Fifty patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 were randomly assigned to receive Sumac supplementation (500 mg twice daily) or placebo for six weeks. The patients were evaluated before and after the intervention in terms of their BMI, waist-hip ratio (WHR), leptin, fasting blood glucose, and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR). Beside clinical adverse event monitoring, liver and kidney function tests were measured before and after the intervention. Results: Statistically significant decrease in weight, waist circumference, and BMI were observed in the Sumac group, which was more prominent as compared to the placebo after six weeks of intervention (1.34 vs. 0.64 P = 0.003; 1.10 vs. 0.54 P = 0.027, and 0.49 vs. 0.24 P = 0.002, respectively). Insulin resistance was also decreased (0.45 vs. -0.14 P = 0.020). No significant change in leptin and fasting blood glucose was observed. No clinical or laboratory adverse event was observed. Conclusions: Sumac supplementation showed to have a potential weight-reduction effect, along with a positive effect on insulin resistance in patients who were overweight or obese.