Ação do camu-camu [Myrciaria dubia (Kunth) McVaugh] liofilizado sobre a glicemia e o perfil lipídico de adultos jovens

Abstract

Currently, chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer account for 60% of all deaths worldwide. Oxidative stress caused by the action of free radicals is involved in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases such as CVD. Flavonoids and vitamin C are antioxidant nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, and its regular consumption is associated with decreased risk of developing chronic diseases. Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia [Kunth] McVaugh) is a fruit from the Amazon region that has significant levels of antioxidants, especially vitamin C and flavonoids. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dust from the pulp of camu-camu on glucose and lipid profile in young adults. The pulp of camu-camu was lyophilized and its nutritional composition was analyzed using the methods indicated by Instituto Adolpho Lutz for the centesimal composition and HPLC method for vitamin C. For the intervention, was conducted a not randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial with 18 volunteers of both genders, aged between 21 and 35 years. The volunteers were divided into two groups: 1) intervention group that received capsules of lyophilized camu-camu containing 320 mg of vitamin C; 2) control group that received capsules containing 320 mg of synthetic vitamin C. The ingestion of capsules was daily for 15 days and blood samples were collected and analyzed before and after the intervention. Statistical differences in the levels of vitamin C in plasma, fasting glucose and lipid profile were verified by means of Student's “t” test. The lyophilized camu-camu presented 20,310 mg of vitamin C/100g and 12.89 mg of flavonoids/100g. At the end of the intervention was reported a significant decrease in fasting glucose, total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol (p <0.05) levels in group that received capsules of camu-camu and a significant reduction only in fasting glucose (p <0.05) levels in group that received capsules of synthetic vitamin C. When considering only those individuals who correctly followed the protocol, there was also a significant decrease in LDL-cholesterol (p <0.05) levels in intervention group. In both groups there was a tendency of reduction in triglyceride levels, although it has not been significant (p> 0.05). It was concluded that the capsules of camu-camu were more efficient, presenting hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic action in volunteers studied. These results demonstrate the potential benefit of vitamin C and camu-camu health, presenting the fruit as an excellent source of this vitamin.