Arabic gum as a natural therapeutic agent for diabetic patients with CKD: A retrospective study

Abstract

Arabic gum (AG) is a dietary additive widely used in food manufacture and drugs; it has also gained popularity as herbal tea that can cure diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. Studies showed its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In a retrospective study design, we included CKD patients taking AG for at least three months. Data were collected over one year for each patient: age, co-morbidities, duration, amount of AG used, serum creatinine, inflammatory markers, lipid profile, blood sugar, hemoglobin A1C, and blood pressure readings. For the changes in values and trends, we compared the values individually for each patient separately. A total of 30 patients consisted of 20 males (66.7%) and 10 females (33.3%), with a mean age of 63.2 years. The mean (M) eGFR pre-enrollment in the study was 23.5 ml/min (standard deviation [SD]=15.8), and the mean eGFR at the end of the study was 26.1 ml/min (SD=18.9, p=0.56). There was a significant difference in the eGFR after using AG between diabetics (M=31.3 ml/min, SD=18.5) and non-diabetics (M=20.5 ml/min, SD=18.2, p=0.03). With a history of catheterization, there was a significant difference in eGFR between patients who had catheterization (M=31.76, SD=20.86) and patients without catheterization (M=18.36, SD=13.08, p=0.04). No significant effect on lipid profile, or CRP, yet significant effect on blood sugar control (fasting blood sugar 0.0001, and HBAa1c 0.01). In conclusion, AG is a promising natural material that affects decreasing eGFR in CKD diabetics patients.