Herbs for Diabetes

Herbs for diabetes include the spices cinnamon, fenugreek, garlic, coriander, ginger and caper. These are the spices most effective in lowering blood glucose and abnormal blood lipids in these diseases.

The compounds found in these spices help to control many of the pathological mechanisms that underlie diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

The processes underlying the development of diabetes relate primarily to the production of, or sensitivity to, insulin, which is the principle hormone responsible for controlling the body’s utilization of glucose. Treatment of diabetes involves dietary management, exercise and the use of oral hypoglycemic drugs or insulin injections.

Culinary herbs for diabetes and many spices can be remarkably effective, both by preventing and controlling established disease. The compounds contained in herbs and spices are capable of directly counteracting the underlying disease mechanisms; by stimulating insulin production, raising insulin sensitivity and modulating the absorption of glucose in the intestines.

Spices can also combat associated conditions such as obesity, in addition to other pathological mechanisms implicated in this disease.

Video: Diabetes, Herbs and Spices

The role of insulin

Insulin then binds to receptors on the surface of cells causing them to absorb glucose from the blood stream. It also controls the conversion of glucose into energy stores in the form of glycogen in muscle and liver cells, and fat in adipose tissue.

When blood glucose levels decrease, insulin production falls to a certain point where it remains until further carbohydrates are ingested and absorbed from the intestines.

This mechanism is finely tuned and, in healthy people, keeps blood glucose levels within a narrow range. If there is insufficient, or no response, to insulin the cells are effectively starved of glucose, and blood glucose levels become dangerously elevated. Insulin works in concert with several other hormones, therefore abnormalities in both its production and performance can have a wide range of adverse consequences.

Anti-diabetic effects of key spices

Increase insulin sensitivity: Caper, cinnamon, fenugreek, ginger

Mimic effects of insulin: Caper, coriander, garlic

Enhances insulin secretion: Coriander

Modulates glucose absorption: Fenugreek

Lower blood lipids: Cinnamon, fenugreek

Reduces fat oxidation: Cinnamon

Subtypes of Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

The insulin regime has to be strictly controlled, as too much insulin can result in hypoglycemia (very low blood sugar) and potentially death. Conversely, failure to provide supplemental insulin will lead to hyperglycemia (very high blood sugar), coma and death. In between these two dangerous extremes is a zone where the patient is not at immediate risk of dying. However, even within the non-lethal range of blood glucose concentrations, inadequate treatment may lead to severe complications such as cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, circulatory impairment, nerve damage, cataracts and infections.

Type II Diabetes
Unlike Type I diabetes, where there is insufficient insulin production, in Type II diabetes the pancreas produces normal or greater than normal quantities of insulin. However, the biochemical abnormalities that arise in the latter type manifest themselves as insulin resistance.

These defects cause hyperglycemia by interfering with the normal function of insulin and thereby glucose uptake into the cells. The increased levels of fat oxidation commonly found in Type II diabetics are also considered to be a cause of insulin resistance.

Metabolic Syndrome
Also known as Syndrome X or Insulin Resistance Syndrome, metabolic syndrome is not only considered a disease in its own right, but is also a precursor to Type II diabetes and increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Metabolic Syndrome is characterized by insulin resistance, high blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels, low HDL levels and central obesity (fat accumulation around the abdomen and abdominal organs). To compensate for the unresponsiveness to insulin, the pancreas produces more insulin. This destabilises several metabolic processes, leading to tissue and organ damage.

Insulin Resistance

Before a cell will allow glucose through its protective membrane, its insulin receptor must be “turned on” by insulin or a chemical mimic. Insulin resistance occurs when the receptor develops a weakened response to insulin resulting in the cell’s failure to absorb sufficient quantities of glucose from the blood. This results in energy deprivation for the cells and raised blood glucose levels.

The primary cause of this weakened insulin receptor response is the chronic over-production of insulin. Not only does too much insulin lead to receptor failure, but wide fluctuations in insulin levels are also known to be an important cause of this condition. These oscillating levels are, in turn, closely associated with a diet high in refined carbohydrate foods.

Diet and Insulin Receptor Failure
Extreme changes of insulin levels are typically the result of a diet dominated by high intake of refined carbohydrate foods. Products such as sugar, sweetened soft drinks and white bread, are absorbed quickly from the intestines into the blood stream causing a sudden rise in blood glucose levels.

These foods are said to have a “high glycemic index”, or high GI, because of their rapid absorption and the resulting peak in blood glucose levels. In order to stimulate the cells to absorb this sudden glucose load, the pancreas responds by releasing larger than normal quantities of insulin. The excessive amount of insulin produced to achieve this effect results in a sudden fall in blood glucose, and within a couple of hours this level becomes very low. The subsequent intake of more high GI foods causes the blood glucose to rise dramatically once more, perpetuating the cycle of wildly fluctuating glucose and insulin levels.

If this steady bombardment of the receptors by large amounts of insulin continues over a long period, it eventually causes their malfunction and insensitivity. It is a bit like repeatedly forcing an over sized key into a lock. After a while, the excessive wear and tear caused by the large key results in damage to the lock making it increasingly harder to turn. If this continues for long enough, the lock wears out and fails to work altogether.

Herbs for diabetes can help to counter these effects.

Glycemic index (GI)

High GI foods, which should generally be eaten sparingly, cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. These include refined carbohydrates such as sugar, sweets, sweetened cold drinks, white bread, some fruits and certain starchy vegetables such as potatoes.

Low GI foods are slowly absorbed and allow blood glucose to rise gradually. These foods include unrefined carbohydrates, such as whole grains, as well as most legumes and vegetables.

The protein and fat components of foods may change the GI of individual carbohydrates.

Less sugar, more spice

This prevents the harmful glucose – and thus insulin – peaks and troughs that are associated with the repeated ingestion of large quantities of high GI foods.

Reducing the proportion of high GI foods in the diet has another, indirect benefit in terms of preventing insulin resistance. Such foods are typically fattening and reducing their intake can lead to weight loss.

Obesity, and particularly central obesity, is another other important cause of insulin resistance and tackling it is an effective way to reduce the risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Another invaluable dietary tool for preventing and managing insulin resistance and diabetes are the spices. These foods counter the disease processes in several ways and can be tremendously helpful, irrespective of whether individuals are making dietary or other lifestyle changes. Moreover, because of the range of ways in which spices act against this disease, they can be useful in Type I and Type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Cinnamon, for example, is a potent inducer of insulin sensitivity and the addition of as little as one gram a day to the diet can reduce the blood glucose levels of diabetics by a staggering 30 percent. It does this by enhancing the enzymes that increase insulin receptor sensitivity and inhibiting those enzymes with the opposite action. Cinnamon has the added benefit of lowering the abnormal lipid levels commonly found in diabetics and reducing the oxidative stress caused by lipid oxidation in these patients.

Fenugreek is also highly effective at modulating glucose metabolism and can lower the blood glucose levels of diabetics by up to 45 percent. This spice both increases insulin receptor sensitivity and normalizes the imbalanced blood lipid levels of diabetics. The fiber contained in fenugreek also lowers the GI of a meal, thus modulating the postprandial blood glucose levels by slowing the absorption of high GI foods.

Ginger and caper increase sensitivity to insulin, and caper mimic the effects of insulin. Garlic and coriander are also insulin mimics, while coriander enhances insulin secretion. Most spices can, with their rich array of antioxidants, help to prevent the complications of diabetes by reducing the oxidation of fats.

A small number of simple spices possess an amazing potency and range of weapons in the fight against diabetes. By helping to prevent, delay and even treat one of worst and most widespread chronic diseases afflicting the modern world, they offer some of today’s most remarkable dietary drugs.

Metabolic memory, oxidative stress and diabetes

Blood vessel damage
Most of the important complications of diabetes are caused by diseased blood vessels. High blood pressure, poor circulation, kidney disease and nerve damage are primarily the result of damage to both small and large blood vessels in diabetic patients.

Research shows that the damage done to blood vessels is caused by the action of free radicals on the endothelium (or lining) of the blood vessels.

Even though it is a layer only one cell deep, the endothelium is a very important part of the blood vessel. It has many vital functions; not only does it control the dilatation and constriction of blood vessels but it also regulates the release of various hormones and the formation of clots in the arteries.

Endothelial dysfunction leads to arterial constriction atherosclerosis and irreversible arterial damage thereby increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, kidney failure and other problems.

Metabolic Memory
Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) is the cause of free radical overload and, until recently, it was thought that once the blood sugar was under control the harmful effects of oxidative stress would be halted. However this has been shown not to be the case and a mechanism called "metabolic memory" has been described that accounts for this phenomenon.

It appears as though, during the periods when an individual's blood sugar is not controlled, proteins are glycated (attached to a glucose molecule). These glycated proteins retain a "memory" which compels them to continue to send out stress signals. This stress signaling maintains the production of excess free radicals even after treatment has returned the blood sugar levels to normal. Unless countered by dietary antioxidants, the persistent release of free radicals maintains the unhealthy state of oxidative stress.

Benefits of antioxidants
A recent clinical trial has shown conclusively that those insulin dependent diabetics who took antioxidants in addition to insulin reduced oxidative stress considerably compared to those who were using insulin without an antioxidant.

This and other studies have also discovered further interesting information regarding the type of antioxidants used to treat oxidative stress in diabetics. Vitamin E (considered a powerful antioxidant) was found to be of no use at all in this context and vitamin C, although effective, did not completely control oxidative stress – even in those diabetics who’s blood sugar levels were very well controlled and did not have any other conditions that may have caused oxidative stress.

This observation should not come as too much of a surprise when we appreciate the fact that there are many different types of free radicals and that no individual antioxidant can access all parts of the cell or neutralize all free radical species.

Diabetics must take antioxidants
The research tells us two important things. Firstly, that diabetics need to ensure that they are very aggressive in controlling their blood sugar levels at all times. In addition, by far the majority of people are diagnosed with diabetes long after the disease process has started.

This means that they were probably under oxidative stress for months or years prior to receiving treatment and that the harmful "metabolic memory" has become well entrenched in their cellular proteins. Even if the diabetics, once they receive treatment, then go on to achieve effective blood sugar levels, the metabolic memory will continue to stimulate free radical release and sustain the damaging oxidative stress.

Herbs and spices the best antioxidant source
Accumulated research to date tells us that not only do all diabetics need to take adequate amounts and variety of antioxidants but non-diabetics need to do so too.

Apart from having regular check-ups to see whether you have diabetes or not, you can protect yourself against arterial damage by eating a diet high in antioxidant-rich foods. However if you are at risk of diabetes or any other disease associated with oxidative stress you should take herbs for diabetes and spices which all have very high antioxidant activity.

References

2.Endothelial dysfunction: a comprehensive appraisalCardiovasc Diabetol. 2006 Feb 23;5:4. Esper RJ, Nordaby RA, Vilariño JO, Paragano A, Cacharrón JL, Machado RA.

3.Simultaneous Control of Hyperglycemia and Oxidative Stress Normalizes Endothelial Function in Type 1 DiabetesDiabetes Care 30:649-654, 2007Antonio Ceriello,Sudhesh Kumar,Ludovica Piconi Katerine Esposito,and Dario Giugliano

4.Biochemistry and molecular cell biology of diabetic complications. Nature. 2001 Dec 13;414(6865):813-20. Brownlee M.

5.Advanced glycation end products and antioxidant status in type 2 diabetic patients with and without peripheral artery disease.Diabetes Care. 2007 Mar;30(3):670-6. Lapolla A, Piarulli F, Sartore G, Ceriello A, Ragazzi E, Reitano R, Baccarin L, Laverda B, Fedele D.

6.The effects of diet on inflammation: emphasis on the metabolic syndrome.J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006 Aug 15;48(4):677-85. Epub 2006 Jul 24.Giugliano D, Ceriello A, Esposito K

7.Oxidative stress and diabetes-associated complicationsEndocr Pract. 2006 Jan-Feb;12 Suppl 1:60-2.Ceriello A

8.New insights on oxidative stress and diabetic complications may lead to a "causal" antioxidant therapy.Diabetes Care. 2003 May;26(5):1589-96Ceriello A

Safety Note

All diabetics should, however, notify their doctors before taking larger than normal quantities of these spices. They should also continue to monitor their blood sugar levels. Spices known to help diabetics do not adversely affect the blood glucose levels of non-diabetics, but when consumed regularly by these individuals they can help to prevent the onset of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

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