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Ginseng May Improve Glucose Control: Presented at ADA

By Charlene Laino

NEW ORLEANS, LA -- June 18, 2003 -- The finding that American ginseng may help to normalize blood glucose levels emphasizes the need to ask diabetic patients if they are taking any complementary medicines, Canadian researchers say.

University of Toronto investigators spoke about the implications of their trial during a poster session here on June 14^th at the 63^rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association's.

The researchers enrolled 30 well-controlled type 2 diabetics into a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover-designed study.

The participants, who were kept on their standard antidiabetic regimen of oral hypoglycemic agents or lifestyle intervention alone, were randomly assigned to receive either 3 g of ground-up North American–grown ginseng and 7 g of a highly viscous Konjac mannan fiber blend, or placebo, daily.

After a 40-week run-in period, the patients were given one treatment for 12 weeks, followed by an 8-week wash-out period. Then, they were administered the alternate treatment for another 12 weeks.

The average hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level fell from 7.0% at baseline to 6.5% when patients were taking the ginseng preparation, compared with 6.8% when they were taking placebo (p=0.006), the study showed.

The results are comparable to those obtained with adjunct therapy with other hypoglycemic agents, such as the alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, in well-controlled patients, said Alexandra Jenkins, BSc, RD, a research associate at the University of Toronto, Canada.

The herbal preparation appeared to be safe, with liver, kidney, and hemostatic function not adversely affected, compared with placebo, the study showed.

Dr. Jenkins stressed that such a preliminary, short-term study is not a reason to recommend ginseng to patients.

"We tried several [5] different sources of ginseng roots, testing them on ourselves, before finding one that seemed to have activity in regulating blood sugar," she said.

Even if such a preparation was available at the health food store, there would be no way to know its purity due to poor regulation and labeling in the herbal industry, said John L. Sievenpiper, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto and Dr. Jenkin's co-investigator.

But, the findings give every reason to ask diabetic patients if they are taking ginseng or other complementary therapies, as standard medication dosing may need to be adjusted, he said.

In a recent survey, physicians estimated that about 75% take complementary medicines, including herbs, Mr. Sievenpiper said.


[Study title: Reduction of HbA1c after Long Term Administration of American Ginseng and Konjac Mannan Fiber in Type 2 Diabetes. Abstract 1676]

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