Effect of Lycopene and Isoflavones on Glucose Metabolism

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is a growing social health problem world-wide, in particular with respect to its contribution to cardiovascular disease. The progressive increase in prevalence of DM2 has reached epidemic proportion and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in all populations around the world. Conventional stepwise treatment of DM2 generally focuses on controlling blood glucose concentration. However, the risk for side-effects associated with the use of pharmacological intervention often delays initiation of therapy, with the potential implication on worsening morbidity and mortality from complications. On the other hand, non-pharmacological intervention in the form of dietary restrictions, exercise and weight loss, is safe but often difficult to accomplish. The availability of nutrients that affect glucose and lipid metabolism would provide an important practical tool to establish early intervention in newly diagnosed DM2 and perhaps even in patients who are only "at risk" for DM2. The investigators have recently obtained preliminary data on beneficial effects of combined supplementation of lycopene and isoflavones on glucose metabolism of normoglycemic volunteers with insulin resistance. This clinical trial will explore the role of isoflavones and lycopene dietary supplementation in the improvement of glucose metabolism of patients at increased risk or with established but mild DM2. The overall hypothesis is that supplementation of laflavon, provided as a new formulation that increases bioavailability of the individual components (Laflavon CamMedica contains 7 mg of Lycopene and 50 mg of Soy Isoflavones), determines improvement in glucose tolerance and insulin resistance of patients with the metabolic syndrome and also reduces HbA1c in patients with mild DM2.