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Objective: Examine effects of MO on plasma glucose and insulin secretion.
Material and Method: Ten healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study (mean age 29±5 years; BMI 20.6±1.5 kg/m2; FPG 81±5 mg/dl). After an overnight fast and every two weeks, subjects received an oral dose of MO at increasing dosages of 0, 1, 2, and 4 g. Plasma glucose (PG) and insulin were collected at baseline and at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, and 6 hours after each MO dosage administration. Insulin secretion rate was measured using area under the curve (AUC) of insulin and AUC of insulin/glucose ratio.
Results: After doses of 0, 1, 2, and 4 g MO, mean plasma insulin increased (2.3±0.9, 2.7±1.0, 3.3±1.4, and 4.1±1.7 μU/ml, respectively) despite there being no differences in mean PG (77±6, 78±5, 79±6, and 79±5 mg/dl, respectively). AUC of insulin was greater after high-dose MO (4 g) than after baseline or low-dose MO capsule (1 g) (24.0±3.5 vs. 14.5±1.8 or 16.1±2.0, respectively; p = 0.03), while there was no difference in AUC of glucose. Accordingly, insulin secretion rate represented by AUC of insulin/glucose ratio after high-dose MO was significantly increased by 74% (p = 0.041), as compared with that of baseline.
Conclusion: We concluded that high-dose (4 g) MO leaf powder capsules significantly increased insulin secretion in healthy subjects. These results suggest that MO leaf may be a potential agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Further studies of MO in patients with T2DM are needed.
Keywords: Blood sugar, Herb, Hypoglycemic drug, Moringa oleifera