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| J Am Coll Nutr 2001 Oct;20(5 Suppl):370S-380S; discussion
381S-383S |
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Konjac-Mannan and American ginsing: emerging
alternative therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Vuksan V, Sievenpiper JL, Xu Z, Wong EY, Jenkins AL, Beljan-Zdravkovic
U, Leiter LA, Josse RG, Stavro MP.
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University
of Toronto, and Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification
Centre, St. Michael's Hospital, Ontario, Canada. v.vuksan@utoronto.ca
Despite significant achievements in treatment modalities and
preventive measures, the prevalence of diabetes has risen exponentially
in the last decade. Because of these limitations there is a
continued need for new and more effective therapies. An increasing
number of people are using dietary and herbal supplements, even
though there is a general lack of evidence for their safety
and efficacy. Consequently, science based medical and government
regulators are calling for more randomized clinical studies
to provide evidence of efficacy and safety. Our research group
has selected two such promising and functionally complementary
therapies for further investigation as potentially emerging
alternative therapies for type 2 diabetes: Konjac-mannan (KJM)
and American ginseng (AG). We have generated a mounting body
of evidence to support the claim that rheologically-selected,
highly-viscous KJM, and AG with a specific composition may be
useful in improving diabetes control, reducing associated risk
factors such as hyperlipidemia and hypertension, and ameliorating
insulin resistance. KJM has a demonstrated ability to modulate
the rate of absorption of nutrients from the small bowel, whereas
AG has post-absorptive effects. Consequently, it appears that
KJM and AG are acting through different, yet complementary,
mechanisms: KJM by increasing insulin sensitivity and AG likely
by enhancing insulin secretion. Before the therapeutic potential
of KJM and AG as novel prandial agents for treatment of diabetes
can be fully realized, further controlled trials with larger
sample sizes and of longer duration are required. A determination
of the active ingredients in AG, and the rheology-biology relationship
of KJM are also warranted.
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