Lowering blood sugar has been found to reduce the risk of chronic
disease-related complications, such as kidney disease, nerve damage,
amputations and blindness in diabetic patients. Yet the lack of
compliance many patients display in taking diabetic medications
hinders the effectiveness of this flawed approach.
With that in mind, researchers may have uncovered an alternative
treatment for controlling blood glucose levels that deters the need
for pill popping: An herb that can be taken with food or in a beverage.
The herb, Salacia oblonga, is native to regions of India and Sri
Lanka. It attaches to intestinal enzymes, known as alpha-glucosidases,
which break down carbohydrates in the body; the enzymes turn the
carbohydrates into glucose. However, if the enzymes attach to the
herbal extract instead of the carbohydrate, then less glucose gets
into the bloodstream, resulting in lowered blood glucose and insulin
levels.
Testing the Affect of Salacia Oblonga
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A study involved 39 healthy adults who participated in four
separate meal tolerance tests--the meals were given in chilled
beverage form and spaced three to 14 days apart.
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Each participant fasted for at least 10 hours prior to consuming
the test beverage.
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Participants drank approximately two cups worth of the beverage,
which contained zero, 500, 700 or 1,000 milligrams of the extract.
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Afterward, researchers used the finger-prick method to draw
blood samples from each participant every 15-30 minutes for
three hours.
Findings from the study showed the most dramatic reduction in insulin
and blood glucose levels resulted from the highest concentration
of the herbal extract--1,000 milligrams. In fact, insulin levels
were 29 percent lower and blood glucose levels were 23 percent lower,
compared to the control drink (zero herbal extract).
Moreover, the test beverages containing the herbal extract caused
an increase in breath hydrogen excretion, as well as minimal gastrointestinal
discomfort in the participants.
Journal
of the American Dietetic Association January, 2005;105(1):65-71
Science
Daily February 20, 2005
The Ohio State University February 7, 2005
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