HERBAL OILS MAY ENHANCE INSULIN SENSITIVITY

November 9, 2001

AND LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE IN DIABETIC RATS

Washington, D.C. — Research at Georgetown University Medical Center

has found that a combination of naturally occurring edible oils may

be effective in treating Type II diabetes. These findings will be

presented at the American College of Nutrition's annual meeting

October 6 and 7 in Orlando, Fla.

Harry G. Preuss, MD, MACN, CNS, professor of physiology and

biophysics at Georgetown and the lead investigator of this study,

and his research team, examined the effects of a combination of

edible oils from fenugreek, cumin, pumpkin seed and oregano on rats

that have been specifically bred to show many of the characteristics

of type 2 diabetes. A single dose of the oils decreased the rats'

blood pressure, and daily doses kept the blood pressure at the lower

level for the three-week study period. But when researchers stopped

giving the oil mixture, blood pressure returned to its normal levels.

" Patients taking drugs to treat Type II diabetes mellitus, a disease

that often accompanies obesity, can develop serious adverse drug

reactions, " Preuss said. " For this reason, it is important to

examine the potential of safe and proven natural products to treat

this increasingly wide-spread condition. "

Additionally, the oils given to the diabetic rats enhanced their

sensitivity to the insulin doses they received to keep their glucose

levels stable, meaning that they needed less insulin to achieve the

same effect.

" Our results suggest that combinations of various edible oils

improve glucose metabolism in these diabetic rats, and may be

important in the treatment of different forms of human diabetes as

well as the high blood pressure that often accompanies it, " Preuss

said. " We are encouraged by the results of this small study and plan

to conduct more research to try to find new ways to treat diabetes

with fewer side effects. "

This study was sponsored by Waukegan, Ill.-based North American Herb

and Spice.

Georgetown University Medical Center includes the nationally ranked

School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Health Studies, and a

biomedical research enterprise. For more information, please visit

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