Review article
Effect of American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) on Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes
Iva Mucalo
; University of Zagreb, Centre for Applied Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Zagreb, Croatia
Dario Rahelic
; University of Zagreb, Dubrava University Hospital, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Disease, Zagreb, Croatia
Elena Jovanovski
; University of Toronto, Departments of Nutrition and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine; St. Michael’s Hospital, Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre, LiKaShing Knowledge Institute, Toronto, Canada
Velimir Bozikov
; University of Zagreb, Dubrava University Hospital, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Disease, Zagreb, Croatia
Zeljko Romic
; University of Zagreb, Dubrava University Hospital, Clinical Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Zagreb, Croatia
Vladimir Vuksan
; University of Toronto, Departments of Nutrition and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine; St. Michael’s Hospital, Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre, LiKaShing Knowledge Institute, Toronto, Canada
Abstract
Since diabetes tends to progressively worsen over time, glycemic control often deteriorates in spite of taking regular therapy. Therefore, numerous research studies are by and large focused on finding more efficient therapy, both new medicines for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as supplements that could serve as an addition to conventional treatment modalities. A variety of herbal preparations have been shown to have modest short-term beneficial effects on glycemia, but of these, the best studied is American ginseng (AG). AG has been shown to be effective in improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes through increasing post-prandial insulin levels and decreasing postprandial glycemic response. However, high variability in ginsenosides may result in just as high variability in antidiabetic efficacy of over-the-counter ginseng products. Therefore, the availability of standardized extracts of AG could assist greatly in advancing our knowledge on the role of this traditionally used herb and result in a wider application of ginseng product in diabetes management. The aim of this review is to outline the efficacy and safety of American ginseng for AG preparations on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes as well as to increase awareness of the evidence supporting the use of these therapies in diabetes care.
Keywords
glycemic control; diabetes; ginseng; American ginseng
Hrčak ID:
95003
URI
Publication date:
27.12.2012.
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