An
ingredient in green tea that helps reduce blood sugar spikes in mice
may lead to new diet strategies for people, according to Penn State
food scientists.
Mice
fed an antioxidant found in green tea -- epigallocatechin-3-gallate,
or EGCG -- and corn starch had a significant reduction in increase in
their blood sugar -- blood glucose -- levels compared to mice that
were not fed the compound, according to Joshua Lambert, assistant
professor of food science in agricultural sciences.
"The
spike in blood glucose level is about 50 percent lower than the
increase in the blood glucose level of mice that were not fed EGCG,"
Lambert said.
The
dose of EGCG fed to the mice was equivalent to about one and a half
cups of green tea for a human.
Lambert,
who worked with Sarah C. Forester, postdoctoral fellow, and Yeyi Gu,
graduate student, both in food science, said EGCG was most effective
when the compound was fed to the mice simultaneously with corn
starch. For humans, this may mean that green tea could help them
control the typical blood sugar increases that are brought on when
they eat starchy foods, like breads and bagels that are often a part
of typical breakfasts.
"If
what you are eating with your tea has starch in it then you might see
that beneficial effect," Lambert said. "So, for example, if
you have green tea with your bagel for breakfast, it may reduce the
spike in blood glucose levels that you would normally get from that
food."
The
EGCG had no significant effect on blood sugar spikes in mice that
were fed glucose or maltose, according to the researchers who
released their findings in the online version ofMolecular
Nutrition and Food Research.
Lambert said that the reason blood sugar spikes are reduced when the
mice ate starch, but not these sugars, may be related to the way the
body converts starch into sugar.
An
enzyme called alpha-amylase that is produced in both the mouth and by
the pancreas helps break down starch into maltose and glucose. EGCG
may inhibit the enzymes ability to break down the starch, the
researchers indicated, since they also found that EGCG reduced the
activity of alpha amylase in the pancreas by 34 percent.
If
the mechanism holds in humans, this may mean that people who want to
limit the blood sugar spike should skip adding sugar to their cup of
green tea.
"That
may mean that if you add sugar into your green tea, that might negate
the effect that the green tea will have on limiting the rise in blood
glucose level," Lambert said.
Lambert
added that the green tea and the starch would need to be consumed
simultaneously. For example, drinking a cup of tea well after eating
a piece of toast would probably not change the blood sugar spike.
For
the study, researchers separated mice into several groups based on
body weight. After a fasting period, the mice were given common corn
starch, maltose, or sucrose. One group of mice received EGCG along
with the feed, while a control group was not fed the compound.
The
researchers then tested the blood sugar levels of both groups.
Lambert
said the researchers next step is to test the compound on people.
"The
relatively low effective dose of EGCG makes a compelling case for
studies in human subjects," the researchers said.
Coment
This
new was published on 9 November, 2012, in the webpage Science Daily,
and was written by Sarah C. Forester.
Blood
sugar spikes is a problem that afects to many people, it is known as
hyperglycemia. It is a condition in which an excessive
amount of glucose circulates
in the blood plasma.
This is generally a glucose level higher than 11.1 mmol/l. Reference
ranges for blood tests are
11.1 mmol/l, but symptoms may not start to become noticeable
until even higher values such as 250–300 mg/dl or 15–20
mmol/l. A subject with a consistent range between 100 and 126
(American Diabetes Association guidelines) is considered
hyperglycemic, while above 126 mg/dl or 7 mmol/l is generally held to
have diabetes. Chronic
levels exceeding 7 mmol/l can
produce organ damage. Generally, excess blood sugar can
be caused by:
- not taking medications for diabetes when they should take or not take the proper amount.
- not follow the meal plan for diabetes (such as overeating at a special occasion without adjusting for diabetes drugs)
- not exercising enough
- have a disease, like the flu, or being stressed
- take other drugs which affect the effects of diabetes medications.
The signs of the
hyperglycemia are: urinating a lot, drinking a lot, weight loss and
tiredness
This
new proposes this new treatmen, which can be an alternative to the
insuline or can help people whit starting diabetes.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario