Table 2.
Participants’ baseline characteristics
| Variable | Overall (n = 46) | Group A a (n = 23) | Group B b (n = 23) | Baseline P value c |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) d | 36.50 (9.40) | 37.70 (10.91) | 34.60 (9.60) | 0.35 |
| Height (cm) d | 158.74 (6.61) | 156.50 (4.51) | 159.60 (7.20) | 0.08 |
| Body Weight (kg) d | 76.80 (13.90) | 76.60 (13.90) | 79.93 (14.8) | 0.47 |
| BMI (kg/m2) d | 31.26 (4.80) | 31.15 (4.13) | 31.40 (5.50) | 0.91 |
| Physical activity (MET- h/day) d | 25.72 (3.25) | 25.91 (3.10) | 25.54 (3.90) | 0.67 |
| Menopause status, (perimenopause) n (%) | 8 (17.17) | 3 (13.10) | 5 (20.90) | 0.48 |
| Mild fatty liver, n (%) | 17 (36.17) | 8 (34.78) | 9 (37.50) | 0.51 |
| High normal blood pressure, n (%) | 7 (14.90) | 2 (8.70) | 5 (20.85) | 0.25 |
| Family history of obesity, n (%) | 10 (25.64) | 5 (26.31) | 5 (25.10) | 0.31 |
| Dietary intakes d | ||||
| Energy intake (kcal) | 1780.34 (190.54) | 1765.86 (212.82) | 1794.25 (169.56) | 0.61 |
| Carbohydrate (gr) | 222.14 (34.153) | 217.25 (31.89) | 226.82 (37.10) | 0.35 |
| Protein (gr) | 50.90 (7.80) | 52.68 (8.21) | 49.21 (7.30) | 0.13 |
| Fat (gr) | 79.30 (12.57) | 79.70 (12.30) | 78.9 (13.10) | 0.84 |
| Fiber (gr) | 13.11 (2.80) | 12.50 (2.95) | 13.85 (2.51) | 0.11 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 144.98 (862.70) | 162.43 (93.54) | 128.26 (78.80) | 0.18 |
| PUFA (gr) | 25.43 (5.10) | 25.76 (4.74) | 25.11 (5.40) | 0.67 |
| MUFA (gr) | 32.20 (6.50) | 31.33 (6.21) | 33.10 (6.75) | 0.37 |
| SFA (gr) | 14.90 (2.80) | 15.26 (2.25) | 14.64 (3.31) | 0.51 |
| Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) (IU) | 26.01 (5.60) | 25.93 (5.30) | 26.11 (5.96) | 0.91 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 59.95 (24.38) | 56.71 (20.61) | 63.14 (27.59) | 0.38 |
| Vitamin D (μg) | 3.80 (2.70) | 4.10 (2.80) | 3.50 (2.50) | 0.48 |
| Medication use | ||||
| Statins, n (%) | 10 (21.27) | 5 (21.73) | 5 (20.84) | 0.31 |
| Blood pressure lowering drugs, n (%) | 3 (6.38) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (12.50) | |
| Both drugs, n (%) | 6 (12.78) | 3 (13.10) | 3 (15.50) | |
| No drugs, n (%) | 20 (421.55) | 11 (47.82) | 9 (37.50) | |
| Serum Biomarkers d | ||||
| IL-1β (pg/ml) | 2.95 (1.42) | 2.75 (1.45) | 3.00 (1.40) | 0.42 |
| IL-6 (pg/ml) | 2.85 (1.52) | 2.70 (1.50) | 1.85 (0.50) | 0.76 |
| Leptin (ng/ml) | 41.30 (6.80) | 41.90 (6.22) | 40.80 (7.31) | 0.63 |
| Insulin (μU/m) | 6.42 (0.79) | 6.18 (0.93) | 6.29 (0.87) | 0.56 |
a Participants who started with NS supplementation and then went on to placebo
b Participants who started with placebo and then went on to NS supplementation
c Independent t test was used to compare between-group measurements
d Data are shown in Mean ± SD