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Natural extract of broccoli lowers blood sugar levels in diabetes
In our childhood many of us have heard from their parents that they should eat their vegetables because they are healthy for the body. Some physicians would like to prescribe vegetables such as broccoli to their patients, so that they can benefit from the positive effects. Researchers have now developed a powder of broccoli extract that can lower the blood sugar levels of people with type 2 diabetes by up to ten percent.
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found in their study that a newly developed powder containing a concentrated extract of broccoli lowers blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes by up to ten percent. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Science Translational Medicine".
Extract of broccoli could now help people with type 2 diabetes who can not take metformin because of kidney problems. The broccoli extract lowers the blood sugar level by about ten percent. (Image: Brent Hofacker / fotolia.com) Effects of Type 2 Diabetes
In people with type 2 diabetes, the body does not respond to insulin, which normally controls the level of glucose in the blood. An abnormal insulin regulation causes an increase in blood sugar levels. This leads to an increased risk of heart attacks, blindness and kidney problems in humans, explain the experts. People with type 2 diabetes often take metformin, which lowers blood sugar. However, about 15 percent of sufferers can not use this form of therapy because it can lead to kidney damage in them, the authors add.
Physicians examine nearly 100 subjects for their study
A substance called sulforaphane is naturally found in broccoli sprouts. This sulforaphane has the ability to reduce the level of glucose in diabetic rats. The Swedish researchers now tried to find out if the same positive effect occurs in humans. The scientists administered a concentrated dose of sulforaphane to 97 subjects with type 2 diabetes for a period of three months. Some of the subjects received only a placebo. All but three of the subjects also continued to use Meformin, explain the scientists. Despite a lack of metformin, these participants were able to control their condition relatively well.
Daily ingested powder contained sulforaphane from about five kilos of broccoli
The administered concentration of sulforaphane was about 100 times higher than it naturally occurs in broccoli. The amount was comparable to the consumption of about five kilos of broccoli per day, explains author Anders Rosengren of the University of Gothenburg.
In which people was the extract most effective?
On average, the blood glucose levels in humans were reduced by ten percent when they took the broccoli extract. The extract was most effective in overweight participants with so-called dysregulated diabetes, the researchers say. The observed effects were very pleasing and a future application to patients would be very interesting, says study author Rosengren. We found a 10% reduction in glucose, the expert reports. These are sufficient to reduce complications in the eyes, kidneys and blood.
How do Metformin and Sulforaphan affect the body??
Further research has shown that both metformin and sulphoraphan reduce blood glucose levels, but in completely different ways. Metformin makes cells more sensitive to insulin. Sulforaphan reduces glucose by suppressing liver enzymes that otherwise stimulate the production of glucose, the researchers say.
Broccoli extract helps when patients have complications with their kidneys
Broccoli extract is not competitive with metformin, but there are many people with diabetes who can not take metformin because of kidney complications, the researchers explain. For such people, broccoli extract could be an ideal replacement, so the conclusion of the doctors. (As)