Herb Used to Treat Diabetes Works
Like Modern-Day Prescription Drugs
Febraury 8, 2005
An herb used in traditional Indian medicine to treat
diabetes seems to lower blood sugar and insulin levels
in a manner similar to prescription drugs, a new study
reports.
Researchers gave extracts of the herb Salacia oblonga
to 39 healthy adults, and the results were promising.
The largest dose of the herb extract – 1,000 milligrams
– decreased insulin and blood glucose levels by
29 and 23 percent, respectively.
"These kinds of reductions are similar to what
we might see with prescription oral medications for
people with diabetes," said Steve Hertzler, a study
co-author and an assistant professor of nutrition at
Ohio State University.
Salacia oblonga, which is native to regions of India
and Sri Lanka, binds to intestinal enzymes that break
down carbohydrates in the body. These enzymes, called
alpha-glucosidases, turn carbohydrates into glucose,
the sugar that circulates throughout the body. If the
enzyme binds to the herbal extract rather than to a
carbohydrate, then less glucose gets into the blood
stream, resulting in lowered blood glucose and insulin
levels.
"Lowering blood glucose levels lowers the risk
of disease-related complications in people with diabetes,"
Hertzler said. "Also, poor compliance with diabetes
medications often hinders the effectiveness of these
drugs. It may be easier to get someone to take an herb
with food or in a beverage, as opposed to a pill."
The study appears in a recent issue of the Journal
of the American Dietetic Association.
Thirty-nine healthy adults participated in four separate
meal tolerance tests. These meals, which were given
in beverage form, were spaced three to 14 days apart.
Each participant fasted for at least 10 hours before
consuming the test beverage.
Participants were asked to drink about two cups' worth
of the chilled beverage, which contained zero, 500,
700 or 1,000 milligrams of Salacia oblonga extract.
Afterward, the researchers used the finger-prick method
to draw blood samples from each person every 15 to 30
minutes for three hours. These blood samples were used
to determine insulin and blood glucose concentrations.
The biggest changes in blood glucose and insulin levels
usually happen within the first two hours after eating.
The beverage that contained the highest concentration
of the herbal extract – 1,000 milligrams –
provided the most dramatic reduction in insulin and
blood glucose levels. Insulin levels were 29 percent
lower, while blood glucose levels were 23 percent lower
as compared to the control drink, which contained no
herbal extract.
As Salacia oblonga can cause intestinal gas, the researchers
had the study participants collect breath hydrogen samples
hourly for eight hours after drinking the test beverage.
The participants collected their breath in small plastic
tubes. The researchers then analyzed these breath samples
for hydrogen and methane content – the level of
either substance in the breath corresponds to the level
contained in the colon.
The subjects also rated the frequency and intensity
of nausea, abdominal cramping and distention and gas
for two days after consuming each test meal.
While the test beverages containing Salacia oblonga
caused an increase in breath hydrogen excretion, reports
of gastrointestinal discomfort were minimal, Hertzler
said.
Right now he and his colleagues are trying to figure
out what dose of the herb is most effective, and when
it should be taken relative to a meal.
"We want to know how long it takes for the herb
to bind to the enzymes that break down carbohydrates,"
Hertzler said. "The participants in this study
took the herb with their meal, but maybe taking it before
eating would be even more effective."
The researchers also want to study the effects of Salacia
oblonga in people with diabetes.
"A lot of studies show that lowering blood sugar
levels reduces the risk for all kinds of diabetes-related
complications, such as kidney disease and nerve and
eye damage," Hertzler said. "We want to see
if this herb has this kind of effect."
Salacia oblonga is still relatively difficult to find
in the United States, Hertzler said, although there
are manufacturers that sell the herb through the Internet.
This study was supported by the Ross Products Division
of Abbott Laboratories in Columbus.
Hertzler is continuing to conduct Salacia oblonga studies
with the Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories.
He has no links to the company beyond this affiliation.
Hertzler conducted the work with former Ohio State
colleague Patricia Heacock, who is now at Rutgers, the
State University of New Jersey; Jennifer Williams, a
clinical scientist with Ross Products Division, Abbott
Laboratories; and Bryan Wolf, a former research scientists
with Ross Products Division.
Source:www.newswise.com
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