Effect of Qingxue Dan on obesity and metabolic biomarker: a double-blind randomized-controlled pilot study

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effect of Qingxue Dan (QXD) on obesity and metabolic biomarker related to obesity.MethodsA randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled trial with a paralleled study design was conducted. Twenty-six obese volunteers aged between 30 and 60 with obesity and more than 2 metabolic risk factors were recruited at the department of oriental rehabilitation medicine, Kyung-hee university oriental medical hospital, Seoul, Korea. Subjects were randomly assigned to an intervention (QXD) group or a placebo group, and treated with 900 mg/d of QXD or placebo medicine for 8 weeks. Primary endpoint was the change of body mass index (BMI) at 8 week from baseline. Secondary outcomes included the change of body composition, abdominal fat mass measured with Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), blood pressure, lipid profiles and the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).ResultsBMI was decreased in the QXD group significantly. Total body fat, abdominal fat mass measured with DXA Region of Interest and waist circumference (WC) showed a trend toward decreasing in the QXD group, but fat free mass was decreased in all groups. Triglyceride (TG) was decreased in QXD group significantly, but WC, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were increased in both group. BP didn't change during the study period. HOMA-IR is decreased in both groups without group effect.Conclusion8-weeks of oral administrations of QXD (900 mg/d) reduces BMI, with a tendency of lose of total body fat mass, especially abdominal fat. It also significantly reduced serum TG level. These results suggest QXD could be used to treat obesity and metabolic risk factors. Further study is needed to confirm our pilot findings.