As a diabetic, you are probably well aware how refined carbohydrates are linked to an increased likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Now just imagine a supplement could delay the breakdown of carbohydrates into simple sugars? Such a phenomenon would certainly lower a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Well, an extract made from mulberry leaves might be the answer that anyone who is trying to avoid diabetes is looking for.
Mulberry leaf has been a staple of Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Mulberry tea has been consumed for almost 3000 years and the first recorded use of the leaves medicinal properties happened around 500AD. A scientific study designed to investigate the effects of a mulberry extract on blood glucose and insulin responses was conducted on healthy volunteers using a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
The benefits of the mulberry leaf extract are associated with a compound called 1-deoxynojirmycin (DNJ) and its derivatives. They have been reported to reduce the activity of a carbohydrate-digesting enzyme known as alpha-glucosidase. By inhibiting the enzyme, starch and oligosaccarides are slowed during digestion which results in fewer spikes of blood sugar.
In the Journal of Functional Foods, Korean researchers from Ewha Woman’s University and the Seoul National University of Technology noted that the intake of 2.5 to 5 grams of mulberry leaf resulted in lower glucose levels after ingesting the solution.
Blood samples were taken from 37 healthy volunteers after they had consumed a carbohydrate-rich drink (containing maltodextrin, a dietary starch with a high glycaemic index that is commonly added to many foods and beverages). Each participant either consumed a placebo or one of three varying doses of the extract along with the drink on four separate days. Each participant’s glucose and insulin levels were measured over the following two hours.
The findings demonstrated that the standard strength mulberry extract (250mg) reduced the total glucose and insulin rises by 22% and 24% respectively compared to that of a placebo. The extract helped to reduce the total amount of sugar being absorbed into the bloodstream by over 20%.
Better still, volunteers experienced no negative side-effects.
