Ginger, an ancient Asian remedy and common spice, may help manage the
high levels of blood sugar which create complications for long-term diabetic
patients, says a new report.
AsianScientist (Aug. 9, 2012) – Ginger, an ancient Asian remedy and common
spice, may help manage the high levels of blood sugar which create
complications for long-term diabetic patients, says a new report.
The study, published this month
in the journal Planta Medica, reveals the potential power of ginger
to control blood glucose by using muscle cells.
University of Sydney Professor of
Pharmaceutical Chemistry Basil Roufogalis who led the research says
ginger extracts obtained from Buderim Ginger were able to increase the uptake
of glucose into muscle cells independently of insulin.
“This assists in the management
of high levels of blood sugar that create complications for long-term diabetic
patients, and may allow cells to operate independently of insulin,” said
Roufogalis.
“Under normal conditions, blood
glucose level is strictly maintained within a narrow range, and skeletal muscle
is a major site of glucose clearance in the body.”
The researchers extracted whole
ginger rhizomes obtained from Buderim Ginger and showed that that one fraction
of the extract was the most effective in reproducing the increase in glucose
uptake by the whole extract in muscle cells grown in culture.
Analysis showed this fraction was
rich in gingerols, the major phenolic components of the ginger rhizome,
particularly the [6]- and [8]-gingerols.
The team showed that the
gingerols increased glucose uptake through an increase in the surface
distribution of the protein GLUT4. When the protein localises on the surface of
muscle cells it allows transport of glucose into cells.
In type 2 diabetic patients, the
capacity of skeletal muscle to uptake glucose is markedly reduced due to impaired
insulin signal transduction and inefficiency of the GLUT4.
“It is hoped that these promising
results for managing blood glucose levels can be examined further in human
clinical trials,” Roufogalis said.
The article can be found
at: Li Y et al. (2012) Gingerols of
Zingiber officinale Enhance Glucose Uptake by Increasing Cell Surface GLUT4 in
Cultured L6 Myotubes.
——
Source: University
of Sydney.
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