Asparagus Can Fight Diabetes - Asparagus can be a powerful new culinary weapon in the
fight against diabetes. Scientists have found that regular intake of these vegetables are increasingly popular to control blood sugar levels and increase the production of insulin in the body, insulin is a hormone that helps in the absorption of glucose.
Asparagus consumption is increasing every year, as well as in the UK the number of asparagus consumption reached 8,000 tons per year. In addition to various types of food raw materials, asparagus apparently does have an important role in the fight against diabetes, mainly type two diabetes which accounts for 90 percent of all cases of diabetes.
Many people are affected by diabetes, but they do not realize they have diabetes. This is because they may not recognize symptoms such as fatigue, and also thirst, recurrent thrush, frequent urination, and wounds that heal slowly.
If left untreated, type two diabetes can increase the risk of heart attacks, blindness and amputation. But if a doctor diagnosed early, the disease can be well controlled with diet and medication. Fatty foods and unhealthy lifestyles trigger someone experiencing diabetes.
To see if asparagus could help, scientists at the University of Karachi in Pakistan injected rats with chemicals to induce a diabetic state, with a low content of insulin levels and high blood sugar. Then, half of the rats were treated with plant extracts of asparagus and the other half were treated with anti diabetes, called glibenclamide. The rats fed extracts of asparagus in a low or high dose every day for 28 days.
Blood tests are then conducted to measure changes in diabetic rats. The results, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed that low levels of asparagus can suppress blood sugar levels but did not increase insulin production. Only high doses of the extract of asparagus that has a significant impact on the resulting production of insulin the pancreas, the organ which releases hormones into the bloodstream.
These findings support previous studies that examined the benefits of asparagus. One study published in the British Medical Journal in 2006 showed that 81 percent asparagus triggered an increase in glucose uptake by muscles and muscle tissue.
In a report based on its findings, the researchers from the University of Karachi said that this study has shown if the
asparagus extracts was found to provide anti diabetic effects.
Fight diabetes with asparagus -
health articles