Curcumin and Diabetes

Nineteen million people are affected by diabetes in Europe. That translates to roughly four percent of the total population. The alarming part is that this figure is expected to rise to 26 million in the next two decades. In the United States too, diabetes is one of the top ten causes of death with over 72,000 deaths caused in a year.

Diabetes mellitus, colloquially condensed to diabetes in common speech, is a disorder caused by the body's inability to produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. When we eat, the cells in our body derive glucose from the food and use it for energy. To move glucose into the cells where it can be used, insulin is required. Without insulin, the body is not able to properly break down the glucose sugar in the bloodstream.

Diabetes is a serious affliction that can lead to problems in virtually every part of the body. If it is not checked it can result in blindness, heart disease, kidney failure and nerve damage. In pregnant women, diabetes can be the cause of complications in the pregnancy and may trigger certain birth defects in the new-born child. A certain form of diabetes, known as gestational diabetes, may even show up during the period of the pregnancy.

In the recent past, American and Korean scientists have shown that Curcumin can be a useful remedy for diabetes. Additional research needs to be done on human subjects before the effects of the spice on diabetes in human beings can be determined with certainty.

Curcumin, the active ingredient in Turmeric, has been in the news lately because of the innumerable benefits of consuming it. Curcumin is beneficial for liver disease, heart health and even the brain. It lowers the risk of Alzheimer's disease and helps in the fight against cancer.

Based on animal tests, researcher Stuart Weisberg, and his team, suggested that Curcumin shows potential as a treatment for type II diabetes. A research team, led by Mi-Kyung Lee offered oral doses of Curcumin to obese mice that suffered from diabetes received. Following this, several improvements were noted in their insulin resistance and glucose tolerance. The study involved diabetic mice as well as non-diabetic controls. For six weeks, the mice were fed diets with or without added Curcumin (0.02 per cent).

The researchers reported that the diabetic mice that were fed Curcumin experienced lower blood glucose levels, than the controls. The subjects also lost less weight.

Glucokinase enzyme plays a key role in the conversion of glucose into glycogen which is the body's primary carbohydrate store. This act blunts the rise of blood sugar after a meal. After eating Curcumin, a rise in the activity of glucokinase enzyme was noted in the livers of the diabetic mice as compared to the control group which was not given any supplement. No effects on blood glucose, plasma insulin, and glucose regulating enzyme activities were reported in the non-diabetic animals. The results of the study showed that Curcumin acted as a glucose-lowering agent and antioxidant in the mice suffering from type II diabetes, while having no effect on the non-diabetic mice.

According to the study's authors, Curcumin's outcomes were not limited to diabetes though. It was also responsible for better cardiovascular health through reduced activity for the enzymes associated with free fatty acids, cholesterol, and triglyceride in the diabetic animals.

Diabetes and obesity are often comorbid conditions. One of the factors linking the two is inflammation. Curcumin is a popular anti-inflammatory agent. It suppresses the number and activity of inflammatory cytokines produced by immune cells in the fatty tissue. These cells are responsible for damage to the heart and pancreatic islands (which produce insulin). They also increase the muscle and liver resistance to insulin. By suppressing the cytokines in the body, Curucmin is able to ward off the looming diabetes and obesity.

For now, the effects of Curcumin have only been documented in research using mouse models but further trials on humans are underway. The main advantage of Curcumin is that it has no side effects when taken in moderation and it keeps, not just diabetes, but a large number of diseases at bay leading to better health overall.

In the United States today there are over 20 million people with diabetes, equal to seven per cent of the population. The healthcare costs currently incurred as a result of this disease runs into several billions of dollars. Curcumin could provide a safe, easily accessible and financially viable alternative to traditional diabetes medicine.