Friday, December 12, 2008

Bitter Melon research for diabetes




The international journal Chemistry and Biology published a study conducted by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Australia and the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica. The report established that bitter melon or karela contains four compounds that activate the enzyme AMPK. This enzyme is known to increase metabolism and sugar utilization by the body. In fact the reason diabetic patients are told to exercise is because exercise causes muscles to activate this same enzyme AMPK.

Insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients occurs because a)sufficient insulin is not produced bitter melon researchand most importantly b)the sugar in the blood is not absorbed and utilized efficiently into energy by cells. Scientists involved in the study indicated that though there are prescription diabetes drugs that also activate AMPK, they are likely to have side effects while bitter melon has absolutely no known side effects. Bitter melon is eaten as a vegetable in asian countries on a regular basis and prescribed as an effective natural means to prevent and control blood sugar.

More on Bitter Melon benefits and studies

No comments:

Post a Comment