Abstract
Abstract
Background
There are many benefits of maintaining healthy blood glucose levels, and studies have shown that lifestyle changes such as changes to diet can successfully restore normoglycaemia in participants with dysglycaemia. Significant health-related lifestyle changes are often difficult to implement and functional ingredients that can reduce glycaemic and insulaemic responses may help at risk populations. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a mulberry leaf extract could lower the glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to 75 g sucrose in healthy individuals.
Methods
A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover design trial was conducted by the Oxford Brookes Centre for Nutrition and Health. Thirty-eight participants were recruited into the trial and, after an overnight fast, were given 75 g sucrose + white mulberry leaf extract, or 75 g sucrose alone. Capillary blood samples were collected at 15-min intervals in the first hour and at 30-min intervals over the second hour to determine glucose and plasma insulin levels. Data analysis was conducted using a paired samples T test or a Wilcoxon signed rank test.
Results
The addition of mulberry leaf extract to sucrose resulted in a significantly lower glycaemic response and insulinaemic response compared to a matched placebo (sucrose alone). The change in blood glucose measurements were significantly lower at 15 min (p < 0.001), 30 min (p < 0.001), 45 min (p = 0.008), and 120 min (p < 0.001) and plasma insulin measurements were significantly lower at 15 min (p < 0.001), 30 min (p < 0.001), 45 min (p < 0.001), 60 min (p = 0.001) and 120 min (p < 0.001). The glucose iAUC (− 42%, p = 0.001), insulin iAUC (− 40%, p < 0.001), peak glucose (− 40.0%, p < 0.001) and peak insulin (− 41%, p < 0.001) from baseline were significantly lower for white mulberry leaf extract compared with the placebo. White mulberry leaf extract was well tolerated and there were no reported adverse events.
Conclusions
Mulberry leaf extract can be used as part of lifestyle changes that may lead to healthy blood glucose levels.
Trial registration: ISRCTN99601810 (23 October 2020, retrospectively registered)
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Nutrition and Dietetics,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism,Medicine (miscellaneous)
Reference34 articles.
1. Factsheet: Noncommunicable Diseases [Internet]. Online: World Health Organisation; 2018. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases.
2. Finkelstein EA, Bilger M, Baid D. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of incentives as a tool for prevention of non-communicable diseases: a systematic review. Soc Sci Med. 2019;232:340–50.
3. Azarpazhooh MR, Morovatdar N, Avan A, Phan TG, Divani AA, Yassi N, et al. COVID-19 pandemic and burden of non-communicable diseases: an ecological study on data of 185 countries. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2020;29(9):105089.
4. Zheng Y, Ley SH, Hu FB. Global aetiology and epidemiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2018;14(2):88–98.
5. IDF Diabetes Atlas. Brussels, Belgium: International Diabetes Federation; 2019. https://www.diabetesatlas.org.