Abstract:
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) continue to be the leading cause of death in people with
diabetes mellitus. Severely suppressed intracellular antioxidant defenses, including low plasma
glutathione (GSH) levels, are consistently linked with the pathological features of diabetes such as
oxidative stress and inflammation. In fact, it has already been established that low plasma GSH
levels are associated with increased risk of CVD in people with diabetes. Dietary supplements
are widely used and may offer therapeutic benefits for people with diabetes at an increased risk
of developing CVDs. However, such information remains to be thoroughly scrutinized. Hence,
the current systematic review explored prominent search engines, including PubMed and Google
Scholar, for updated literature from randomized clinical trials reporting on the effects of dietary
supplements on plasma GSH levels in people with diabetes. Available evidence indicates that dietary
supplements, such as coenzyme Q10, selenium, curcumin, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin E or D,
may potentially improve cardiometabolic health in patients with diabetes. Such beneficial effects are
related to enhancing plasma GSH levels and reducing cholesterol, including biomarkers of oxidative
stress and inflammation. However, available evidence is very limited and additional clinical studies
are still required to validate these findings, including resolving issues related to the bioavailability of
these bioactive compounds.
