Population and Study design
In the double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial manner, Forty-four volunteers with type 2 diabetes were joined to this study. These individuals referred to the Diabetes Research Center at the Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences and met our inclusion criteria including 30-60 years old subjects, definitive diagnosis of type II diabetes with no insulin therapy, no pregnancy and lactation, no self-reported specific diseases and malignancies, no kidney failure, no heart disease, no thyroid and other inflammatory disease, no vitamin and antioxidant supplement during the last 6 months, and no smoking and drinking. The written consent was obtained from each individual before joining to the project.
All processes were performed under the supervision of a nutritionist at each step, during which the participants were counseled to eat an exact diet, perform physical activity, and take blood glucose lowering drugs. Qualified researchers performed all the data collection and measurements. Basal characteristics were collected by the interviewers which is presented before for subjects (n = 22) or placebo (n = 22) for 8 weeks. In a double‑blinded fashion, subjects received 8mg of oral Astaxanthin/d (nature vision; USA) which was derived from Haematococcus pluvialis (microalgae) and inactive ingredients which were used for both supplement and placebo were Dicalcium Phosphate, Microcrytalline Cellulose, Stearic Acid, Silicon Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate. Food consumption was recorded before, during and after the study period (3-day food records), according to volume or weight and type of food. To assess energy and macronutrient intake, the dietary data were analyzed using Nutritionist IV software (Version 4.1, First Databank Division, The Hearst Corporation, and San Bruno, CA, USA). During each 2-week appointment, the participants’ compliance to the study protocol was assessed by numeration the residual AST tablets, and asking them to preserve their habitual diet, lifestyle, and medication ingestion.