Insulin resistance is an increasing problem, worldwide. A number of plants have the property of being “insulin sensitizers,” making the person more sensitive to insulin. Insulin resistance is a problem in which tissues become resistant to insulin with resulting poor control of glucose and lipid levels.
Fructose in rodents produces a decline in insulin sensitivity, resulting in high glucose (hyperglycemia,) high insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia,) high triglycerides, high free fatty acids and hypertension. This resembles the metabolic syndrome of humans.
Flavonoids are dietary polyphenols found in fruits and in vegetables. Naringenin is one flavonoid found in citrus, grapefruit and in fenugreek seeds. This study was done to see if naringenin has any effect on insulin resistance caused by a high fructose diet.
The study lasted 60 days. On the last day, a large number of blood studies were done. Some of the rats were fed a normal control diet and others received high levels of fructose. Some of the rats were treated with naringenin and some were not.
There were no differences in the body weights of the different groups of rats fed the different diets. The fructose diet resulted in high levels of blood glucose, insulin and lipids when the rats were not treated with naringenin. The use of naringenin prevented the insulin resistance that developed in the fructose-fed rats. The naringenin-fed rats showed normal blood test results even though they received high doses of fructose.
CONCLUSION: Naringenin, a dietary flavonoid, improved insulin sensitivity in this study and significantly reduced the negative effects of a high fructose diet. “In all estimations, control rats treated with naringenin did not show any significant alterations as compared to control rats.” This study supports the use of fenugreek seeds in the treatment of diabetes.
NOTE: Read about how naringenin, among other flavonoids, protects dopaminergic neurons, important in Parkinson’s disease.
To read the author’s abstract of the article click on the link to the author’s title of the article above.
PMID: 19727895.
Summary #333.
