Effects of dried licorice extract with low-calorie diet on lipid profile and atherogenic indices in overweight and obese subjects: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Introduction: Licorice root is one of the most frequently used medicinal herbs. There is contradictory evidence about effects of the licorice on lipid profile. The aim of the present study was to compare effects of licorice extract concurrent with low-calorie diet with low calorie diet alone on the lipid profile and atherogenic indices in overweight and obese subjects. Methods: In this double blind randomized controlled clinical trial, 64 overweight and obese subjects, aged 30-60 years old, were recruited from March to September 2013. They were randomly divided into intervention (n=32) and control (n=32) groups. Participants and research staff were masked to the treatment allocation by randomization. Both the groups received 1.5 g/day of dried licorice extract or placebo, respectively, concurrent with weight loss diet for 8 weeks. Lipid profile, weight and dietary intake were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. Body mass index and atherogenic indices were calculated. Results: Fifty-eight participants completed the trial. At baseline, there were no significant differences for lipid profile except for low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) level between the groups. After the intervention, total cholesterol (TC), LDL-c levels, TC/high-density lipoprotein (HDL-c), LDL-c/HDL-c ratios and log of TG/HDL-c were significantly decreased (p<0.01 for all variables), but no changes were observed in TG and HDL-c levels. Conclusions: It seems that supplementation with licorice extract used concurrently with a low calorie diet can efficiently improve the lipid profile in overweight and obese subjects. (C) 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.