Study Finds 4 Ways Garlic Benefits Diabetics

by | Jan 19, 2016 | 2013, Diabetes, Garlic, Pancreatic Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Researchers saw a 22.8% decrease after 12 weeks of garlic and metformin supplementation in diabetics.

By the year 2030, the worldwide prevalence of diabetes is expected to increase to 552 million people, an increase of 51% from 366 million people in 2011, 90% of which will be type 2 diabetes (1). While there are 25.8 million Americans with diabetes, which incurs a cost of $174 billion annually to our healthcare system (2), the highest prevalence of diabetes is in India, with 32 million current diabetics and a predicted increase to 80 million by 2030 (3).

The hallmark blood tests that confirm a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes are a fasting blood glucose level of at least 126 milligrams/deciliter or levels of a protein called HbA1C (called “glycosylated hemoglobin”) greater than 6.5% (4). The health complications that accompany type 2 diabetes are numerous and include an increased risk of blood vessel complications, nerve damage in hands and feet, heart attack, stroke, and an overall increased risk of death (called “all-cause mortality”) (5).

Now a new study (6) has identified four different ways garlic may help minimize the adverse health effects of type 2 diabetes. The study involved 60 patients aged 40 to 65 with a fasting blood glucose of at least 126 mg/dL, an HBA1c level greater than 6.5%, and a Body Mass Index (BMI)  greater than 25 kilograms/meter2.

They were divided into two groups:

  • Group 1 was given the diabetes drug metformin twice per day (1,000 milligrams) or 3 times per day (1,500 mg) after meals. (The researchers stated that subjects were instructed to take metformin 2 or 3 times per day based on “each patient’s blood glucose profile and drug tolerance”).
  • Group 2 was given 250 milligrams of garlic extract per day in addition to taking metformin either 2 or 3 times per day.

This was done for 12 weeks and patients were followed up with every 2 weeks to provide blood samples.

At the end of 12 weeks, those taking garlic in addition to metformin saw significant decreases in both fasting blood glucose and post prandial blood glucose (blood sugar levels immediately after meals). For fasting blood glucose, those in the garlic + metformin group saw a 22.8% decrease after 12 weeks (157.10 to 121.34 mg/dL, p < 0.01) compared to a 15.9% decrease in the metformin-only group that did not reach statistical significance (160.32 to 134.9 mg/dL).

In addition, two other significant benefits were found. Those in the garlic-metformin group saw a 9.8% increase in their HDL (good) cholesterol levels (42.50 to 46.7 mg/dL, p < 0.01) compared to a 4.8% increase in the metformin-only group (41.90 to 43.93mg/dL) that did not reach statistical significance. Finally, those in the garlic-metformin group saw a 20.7% decrease in the levels of an enzyme called adenosine deaminase, known to decrease blood sugar uptake by cells (7) (45.6 to 36.18 Units/Liter, p < 0.01), compared to a 4.1% decrease in the metformin-only group that did not reach statistical significance (43.23 to 41.48 Units/Liter).

For the researchers, “These results lead us to conclude that there is an adjuvant role of garlic, along with other antidiabetic agents, in the treatment and prevention of long-term complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus.”

Source: Kumar, Rahat, Simran Chhatwal, Sahiba Arora, Sita Sharma, Jaswinder Singh, Narinder Singh, Vikram Bhandari, and Ashok Khurana. “Antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory and adenosine deaminase–lowering effects of garlic in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with obesity.” Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes 6 (2013): 49-56.

© 2013 Kumar et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd. This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, provided the original work is properly cited.

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted March 20, 2014.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com .

References:

  1. Whiting DR, Guariguata L, Weil C, Shaw J. IDF diabetes atlas: global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2011 and 2030. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2011;94:311–21.
  2. “2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet” posted on the CDC website
  3. Ramchandran A, Snehalatha C, Vijay V. Burden of type 2 diabetes and its complications – the Indian scenario. Current Science. 2002;83: 1471–1476.
  4. Davidson MB. Diabetes Mellitus: Diagnosis and Treatment, 3rd ed. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1991.
  5. Stratton IM, Adler AI, Neil HA, et al. Association of glycaemia with macrovascular and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 35): prospective observational study. BMJ. 2000;321(7258): 405–412
  6. Kumar R.  Antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory and adenosine deaminase–lowering effects of garlic in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with obesity.  Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes 2013;6:49-56. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S38888. Epub 2013 Jan 19.
  7. Kurtul N, Pence S, Akarsu E, Kocoglu H, Aksoy Y, Aksoy H. Adenosine deaminase activity in the serum of type 2 diabetic patients. Acta Medica (Hradec Kralove). 2004;47(1):33–35