Can Nettle Extract Affect Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Parameters in Obese Children? A Paralleled- Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Obesity is one of the causes of insulin resistance. Although it has been speculated that nettle is probably a safe treatment for insulin resistance, considering the shortage of evidence on its effects, we aimed to assess the effect of nettle extract on insulin resistance and metabolic parameters in obese children. Methods: In this paralleled-randomized controlled clinical trial, 64 children aged 12-18 years with obesity were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group received nettle syrup twice a day for 12 weeks in addition to a specific diet, and the control group followed the diet alone. Demographic characteristics and metabolic results, and lipid profile were checked. Data were analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics Version 24.0, and a P-value < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. Results: The results showed that most patients in the groups were girls. In the inter-group analyses, results showed significant differences in terms of FBS (P = 0.043), LDL (P = 0.023), and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) (P = 0.025) after eight weeks. Although FBS (P = 0.044) had a significant difference in the 12th week and was higher in the intervention group, it was still in the normal range. Conclusions: This study revealed that administering nettle syrup can be helpful for patients with obesity with no significant adverse effects, and it considerably reduced LDL, T-Chol, and HOMA-IR. Despite our promising results, further multicenter studies with larger sample sizes in this age group can be beneficial to confirm our results.