[acb-diabetics] candy may help type 2 diabetics?

[Ken Metz]

Does this include red vines? SMILE!

 

KEN

 

From: acb-diabetics-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-diabetics-bounces at acb.org]
On Behalf Of Patricia LaFrance-Wolf
Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 5:28 PM
To: 'Discussion list for diabetics and/or ACB issues'
Subject: [acb-diabetics] candy may help type 2 diabetics?

 



Licorice root, the raw material for licorice candy, has now been hailed as
containing substances with an anti-diabetic effect. These molecules reduce
blood sugar and possess anti-inflammatory properties. And even more
important: they are extremely well tolerated by the human body.

The licorice root has been used as a traditional healer since ancient times.
Certain forms of licorice root have already been shown to calm the digestive
system and ameliorate respiratory ailments in humans

Now scientists have discovered that licorice root from the papilionaceae or
leguminous family might also be effective in the treatment of type 2
diabetes. So far, treatments for type 2 diabetes have been developed but
none of them halt disease progression. Many clinicians believe that the best
treatment for type 2 diabetes is to prevent it before it starts.

The group that made the discovery is based at the Max Plank Institute for
Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany. A research team there identified a
group of natural substances within licorice root called amorfrutins, which
are named after the fruit of the Amorpha fruticosa bush in which they are
also found.

The group demonstrated in a mouse model of diabetes that amorfrutins reduce
blood sugar levels and inflammation that would otherwise be present in the
mice suffering from diabetes. In addition, ingesting the amorfrutins
prevented the development of a fatty liver - which is a common side effect
of diabetes and an excessively fat-rich diet.

The scientists also discovered that the amorfrutin molecules bind to a
nuclear receptor called PPARγ. PPARγ plays an important role in fat and
glucose metabolism by activating various genes that reduced the
concentration of fatty acids and glucose within the blood. The reduced
glucose level prevented the development of insulin resistance in the mice -
thereby blocking the main cause of type 2 diabetes.

There are already drugs on the market that activate the PPARγ receptor;
however, many of them are not selective and cause side effects like weight
gain and cardiovascular problems. Amorfrutins represent a novel method to
activate the PPARγ receptor minus the side effects.

However, the scientists immediately found a problem with dosage. The amount
of amorfrutin molecules in a piece of licorice available for human
consumption is far too low to cause the same beneficial effects that were
identified in the diabetic mice. Therefore, the researchers are developing a
special protocol to extract amorfrutins from the Amorpha fruticosa that they
hope will lead to mass production on an industrial scale.

Sascha Sauer, lead investigator of the study and head of the Otto Warburg
Laboratory at Max Plank Institute stated that, "The amorfrutins can be used
as functional nutritional supplements or as mild remedies that are
individually tailored to the patient." "In view of the rapid spread of
metabolic diseases like diabetes, it is intended to develop these substances
further so that they can be used on humans in the future."

The next step for the scientists will be to test the efficacy of the plant
amorfrutin extracts in clinical studies on diabetes patients. Diabetes
patients are in dire need of a new drug after a pair of treatments currently
on the market, Avandia and Actos, were recently restricted by the FDA after
new evidence surfaced linking the drugs to heart failure and stroke.

This study was published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences USA on April 16, 2012. 


 

 

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