Type 2 diabetes can be a 'devastating diagnosis' says expert
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Rates of type 2 diabetes spiked during the pandemic, leading to an outbreak of concerns over associated health complications. Researchers, however, have long stressed the importance of diet to help prevent and tame the condition. One herb in particular, could lower blood sugar in just two hours, helping stave off the condition.
Type 2 diabetes
Sage leaves have long been used as a remedy against diabetes, with research suggesting they could help lower blood sugar levels.
A study investigating the link between the herb and diabetes found that sage extract reduces blood glucose levels in rats by activating a specific receptor.
Further studies carried out on humans have also confirmed these results.
A clinical trial including 80 individuals with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes found that after two hours of fasting, blood sugar levels in individuals given sage were significantly decreased when compared with the control group.
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Once the receptor is activated, researchers observed the receptors clear excess free fatty acids in the blood, which can help improve insulin sensitivity.
A study conducted on mice with type 2 diabetes found that the herb acts in a similar manner to the drug metformin – a drug prescribed to manage blood glucose.
In humans, the herb has been found to have similar effects to rosiglitazone, another anti-diabetes drug which lowers blood sugar and improves insulin sensitivity.
Researchers concluded that sage might benefit people with diabetes to reduce glucose after just two hours after fasting.
High cholesterol:
While growing diabetes rates are a cause for concern, the condition has been found to have strong ties with high cholesterol.
Some studies have found that diabetes is associated with cholesterol synthesis and can elevate LDL, or bad cholesterol.
Because studies purport the two conditions may operate in conjunction with one another, health professionals stress that blood glucose and cholesterol levels should be monitored simultaneously.
High cholesterol can put individuals at risk for heart disease, but the condition’s pernicious nature makes it difficult to diagnose.
However, the majority of existing medications to lower cholesterol have adverse side-effects which deter many taking them.
This has prompted researchers to investigate alternative routes to cure the condition, with diet being at the forefront of preventative measures.
Some investigations have revealed that what sage does for diabetes, it may also do for cholesterol.
Studies have found that, when consumed three times daily for two or three months, sage reduces LDL cholesterols and triglyceride and increases HDL cholesterol.
One study, involving 67 participants, found that total cholesterol levels decreased by 19.6 percent after two months.
Furthermore, findings showed improvement in all cholesterol markers with sage supplementation.
Researchers concluded that sage leaves could be introduced as an alternative treatment for high cholesterol.
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