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Vietnamese Tea Reduces A1c (?)
Ooh, I made a rhyme! So clever. And just about the kind of cutsey headline you’d expect for such an unlikely “news” announcement. I usually systematically ignore all the fuss about herbs and supplements that supposedly help control diabetes, even cinnamon, because it just seems awfully far-fetched to me. But if scientific results were presented at the all-knowing ADA conference this year, then it must be true…
Get this: For many generations in Vietnam, Type 2 diabetics were given an herbal tea made of Gynostemma Pentaphyllum (GP). Later, studies found that this stuff actually 
worked by stimulating insulin secretion in isolated islet cells in rats. So researchers launched a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with newly diagnosed T2 patients aged 40-70. This according to a new research poster presented at the 68th Annual ADA Scientific Sessions a few weeks ago here in San Francisco.
“Therapy: 6 grams of GP tea twice a day for 12 weeks, plus following a healthy diet and and exercise regimen.”
Would you believe? “Fasting plasma glucose decreased in the tea group after only one week.” At the end of 12 weeks, the GP group had an average 2% drop in A1c, compared to less than 0.2% in the unlucky souls who got no tea. No one experienced hypoglycemia.
Anyone tried this stuff? Or found that any kind of tea or herb really makes a difference in your BG control?
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If type 1 diabetics take a supplement that wrings dry their remaining tiny population of islet cells, they risk burning these cells out. We want to keep whatever scraps of beta cells we have — secreting even tiny amounts of endogenous insulin is beneficial, plus future therapies may focus on cloning or otherwise increasing beta cell mass. I stopped taking all supplements that promise improved glycemic control for that reason.
There are tons of supplements that have varying degrees of efficacy. Lots of them “work” in the short term — they lower blood sugar. (I personally had one of the nastiest and scariest lows of my life while on a combination supplement for diabetics.) BUT we don’t know the renal clearance of these supplements, we don’t know if they have hepatotoxic effects, we don’t know if they are good for overall health in the long run.
Posted by: LaurenK | August 8th, 2008 at 8:41 pmMedicinal herbs work! They really do. And for this reason, we have to be careful when we add them into an already-established diabetic routine. If you are on medication, you have a higher risk of having a low. As you can see in the study, yes, it is true no one had a low taking the tea. However, it also states the study participants were newly diagnosed and
“drug-naive”…meaning they were not on any other medications to lower blood sugar.
As a registered dietitian I am trained to improve chronic conditions with changes in diet–with food. I also believe in herbs, and when I encounter patients who want to use food AND herbs or supplements to control their diabetes, I refer to a licensed Naturopathic Doctor (ND) who is trained in both herbal medicine and traditional western medicine. I recommend each of you seek out the same support before adding an alternative therapy to your routine.
Posted by: Norae Ferrara, RD | August 9th, 2008 at 6:18 pm