Monday, May 26, 2008

Herb Used To Treat Diabetes Works Like Modern-day Prescription Drugs, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily — COLUMBUS, Ohio – 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.


Adapted from materials provided by Ohio State University.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Natural Food for Diabetics - Natural diabetes Treatment

According to the World Diabetes Federation Some 80% of Type 2 diabetes is preventable by improving the living environment. This includes dietary changes and increased physical activity.

If you are diabetic, it is essential that you understand that any time you make changes to your diet, that you should test your blood sugar in tandem in order to gauge the effects of those changes. It is advisable to your consult your pysician before making drastic dietary changes. Check your blood sugar regularly in order to get a feel as to what works and which foods help you achieve the best possible control of your blood sugar.

If there is some food that your are skeptical about, test your blood sugar and see if it worked. As long as you follow the rules that you have learned about portion sizes, total carb exchanges per meal or snack, and as long as you use whole foods within the guidelines your doctor or diabetic counselor has given you, you can experiment with types of foods to see which ones give you the best overall blood sugar control.


Cinnamon

An intake of half a teaspoon of cinnamon twice a day has the potential to reduce blood sugar by as much as 50 points. The genesis of prescribing cinnamon for diabetes started with a study conducted by Richard Anderson, at the Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, a branch of the U.S department of agriculture. They discovered that apple pie was one of the foods that were able to boost the efficiency of insulin in type 2 diabetics. Further analysis revealed that cinnamon, a common ingredient in apple pie was responsible. The most active ingredient in cinnamon is methylhydroxy chalcone polymer which helps convert glucose to energy. Insulate Plus Herbal Diabetic Control Solution

Bitter Gourd or Bitter Melon

Bitter Gourd (referred to as plant insulin) improves the body glucose tolerance. The recommended dose is 2 ounce twice per pay between meals. It can be cooked or taken in powered forms. Bitter Melon is approved by the Dept. of Health in the Philipines as one of the foremost herbal medicines for diabetes blood sugar control.

Chromium

Helps cells to respond better to naturally produce insulin. Rich sources of chromium: seeds, whole grains, mushrooms..

Magnesium

Eating more whole grains and low-fat dairy foods rich in magnesiumalso reduced the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Magnesium-rich foods include whole grains, vegetables, cereals, and milk.

Banaba

Referred to as a botanical insulin, it helps to lower blood sugar and acts as a glucose vehicle in the blood stream.

Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum (silymarin)

The herbal medicine extracted from seeds of the Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum (silymarin) is known to have antioxidant properties and research published this week in Phytotherapy Research shows that this extract can help people significantly lower the amount of sugar bound to haemoglobin in blood, as well as reducing fasting blood sugar levels. Silymarin contains a number of active constituents called flavolignans which are also used to help protect the liver from poisoning.

Gymnema Sylvestre

It reduces insulin resistance by increasing cell permatibility. It is recommended that people with diabetes should take 4 grams per day of this ayurvedic herb. A Harvard study concluded that it did not only reduce blood sugar in type two but type one diabetics as well. Gymnema Sylvestre is made out of a herbal plant known as ‘Masbedda’ in Sri Lanka. It has powerful medical characteristics for the cure of diabetes. The herbal preparation now market is now in dried powered form and could be dissolved in hot water and could be taken instead of tea.

Huckleberry

Improves circulation in the capillaries in the hands and feet and improves digestion and immune systems

Zinc

It is essential for the pancreas to produce insulin and makes insulin work effectively. It also helps in fortifying the insulin receptor cells. When zinc is low, the pancreas does not create sufficient insulin, thus high glucose levels

Ginkgo Biloba

An extremely effective herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and derived from one of the oldest trees on earth. Studies indicate that Ginkgo biloba has a beneficial effect on peripheral and cerebral circulation and can therefore help to prevent the tissue damage and poor circulation associated with diabetes. It is also suggested that Ginkgo biloba can increase blood flow to the optic fibres of the eyes and therefore help to treat diabetes-related eye disease.

Other Diabetes Herbs

Indian blackberry seeds, fenugreek, neem seeds, turmeric, mustard seeds, gooseberry, jeerakam cumin seeds, bacopa monnieri

Vitamin B complex

Vitamins of the B group are valuable in the treatment of diabetes. However, large dosages of Vitamin B should be avoided as it can interfere with the absorption of Insulin by cells. Despite an adequate intake of these vitamins, diabetics often have abnormally small amounts of vitamin B in their blood because of high urinary loss of exhibit symptoms of vitamin B deficiency. Marked clinical improvement has been reported in patients of diabetes with only 16000 units of daily supplements of vitamin B complex. Because these vitamins help reduce blood fat and cholesterol, they should be generously supplied at all times. According to experts, one small risk associated with a vegan diet is a lack of vitamin B12, so diabetics considering a vegetable diet should supplemented their diet with B12 vitamins. Australia--Research on B vitamins and children with diabetes type 1 has revealed supplementation can normalize endothelial function, a precursor of vascular disease, which begins early in juvenile diabetes and is associated with foliate status.

Thiamine or Vitamin B1

Diabetic diet inadequate in vitamin B1, often leads to the development of neuritis, which is relieved as soon as large amounts of this vitamin are given. Vitamin B1 is particularly essential in preventing brain dysfunction during diabetic acidosis. The greater the need for insulin the higher the intake of vitamin B1, pantothenic acid or vitamin B12 and biotin or vitamin B8 should be. The primary natural vegetable sources of thiamine are dark green leafy vegetables, banana and apple wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, the outer layers of rice, wheat and other whole grain cereals, pulses, nuts, peas, lime, legumes, .

Vitamin B12 (Pantothenic acid) is essential for the body to release energy from proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. It also plays an important role in developing the central nervous system and cell building. Stay healthy and keep your blood sugar at bay by eating essential foods rich in Vitamin B12 such as sweet potato, mushroom, yogurt, avocado, lobsters, and organ meats

Pyridoxine or Vitamin B6

B6 is essential for the functioning of the immune system and in enabling the body to make use of carbohydrates (sugar) and fats. When diet is low in vitamin B6 or pyridoxine, an essential amino acid tryptophan, is converted into a substance known as xanthurenic acid. It is revealed in laboratory experiments that xanthurenic acid has a negative effect on essential pancreatic functions. In addition, Foliate and vitamin B6 normalized endothelial dysfunction in children with type 1 diabetes.

Diabetics who have been given 50 mg of vitamin B6 daily have shown a rapid and marked decrease in urinary xanthurenic acid. In a particular incident, the quantity dropped almost 97 percent the first day. Total absence of urinary xanthurenic acid amongst those who continued with a daily dosage of 10 to 20 mg of this vitamin indicated that none was being formed in the body. Diabetics are thus greatly helped by a liberal intake of vitamin B6. Keep your body healthy by eating fortified cereals, poultry, some vegetables and fruits, soybeans, wheat germ, and fish - essential foods rich in Vitamin B6.

Biotin

According to techmedia Biotin is needed to process glucose. In addition a study showed that Type 1 diabetics given 16mgs of Biotin for one week cut their fasting glucose by 50%.

Vitamin A

A compound of vitamin A called topical Retin-A also known as tretinoin, mainly used to treat acne problems, enhances the healing of foot ulcers in patients with diabetes, according to a report of the Archives of Dermatology