The bush banana displays remarkable hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities in diabetics

Phytonutrients in the bush banana (Uvaria chamae) can ameliorate the effects of diabetes mellitus. A Nigerian study demonstrated that natural phytochemicals in the fruit possessed anti-diabetic properties, making them potential candidates for future hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic drugs.

The University of Lagos supported the study. Its findings were published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

• Rats in an animal model fasted overnight before they were injected with streptozotocin. After 72 hours, rats were considered to have developed diabetes if their plasma glucose levels exceeded 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
• The diabetic rats were divided into six groups. One group remained untreated. Three groups were given 100, 250, and 400 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of the bush banana extract. The fifth was treated with insulin while the sixth received a placebo.
• After eight days, the researchers analyzed the effects of the bush banana extract on the animals’ weight, blood sugar level, and other biochemical parameters.
• Diabetic animals that received bush banana extract treatment weighed much less than untreated rats. They also showed healthier levels of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and plasma glucose levels.
• Analysis of the pancreas of the animals showed that the organ’s pancreatic islets regenerated after treatment with bush banana extract. These insulin-producing cell clusters did not regenerate in the pancreas of diabetic rats that were treated with insulin.

Based on their findings, the researchers believed that the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of the bush banana extract could reduce the weight of obese animals and help prevent heart diseases.

The full study can be read at this link.

More articles about potential anti-diabetic treatments can be found at DiabetesScienceNews.com.

Journal Reference:

Emordi JE, Agbaje EO, Oreagba IA, Iribhogbe OI. ANTIDIABETIC AND HYPOLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITIES OF HYDROETHANOLIC ROOT EXTRACT OF UVARIA CHAMAE IN STREPTOZOTOCIN INDUCED DIABETIC ALBINO RATS. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 15 November 2016;16(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-016-1450-0.