Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. 300 mgs of aloe vera gel taken twice per day for 12 months, along with a restricted carbohydrate and fat diet, significantly improved blood glucose metabolism as well as total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

Type 2 diabetes costs our healthcare system $245 billion in 2011 and affects nearly 26 million Americans (with 79 million more with “pre-diabetes”) (1). One of the hallmarks of this condition is elevated levels of blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides) and a protein called HbA1C. These elevations are a significant contributor to the doubled risk of stroke noted in diabetics (2, 3).

Ways to achieve healthy levels of blood lipids and HbA1C in type 2 diabetics can improve their quality of life. Fortunately, aloe vera gel may be a natural approach. A 2012 study (4) involved 60 type 2 diabetics (29 men, 31 women) aged 40 to 60 who, despite being on two medications (5 milligrams glyburide tablets and two 500 mg metformin tablets twice daily) had:

  • Fasting blood levels of glucose between 150-200 mg/dL
  • HbA1c between 7-9%
  • Fasting blood LDL cholesterol levels >100 mg/dL
  • Fasting blood triglyceride levels >150 mg/dL

They were given either aloe vera gel (300 milligrams twice daily = 30 patients) or placebo (30 patients) for 12 months. Both groups continued taking their medications and were instructed to “restrict intake” of carbohydrates and fatty foods such as rice, confectionery, red meat, pies, cream pies, eggs, and fatty dairy products 2 months before the start of supplement until the end of the study. Each participant recorded their food intake 3 days every week for the duration of the study.

The researchers observed the following benefits from two months of aloe gel supplementation, with no side effects in either group:

AloePlacebop-value
Glucose3.1% decrease
(173 to 167.8 mg/dL)
3.5% increase
(184.6 to 191.2)
0.036
HbA1C9.6% decrease
(7.3 to 6.6)
6.8% increase
(7.3 to 7.8)
0.036
Total Cholesterol10.1% decrease
(242.3 to 217.9 mg/dL)
20.3% decrease
(227 to 181 mg/dL)
0.006
LDL Cholesterol6.8% decrease
(134.8 to 125.7 mg/dL)
18.5% decrease
(123.4 to 100.6 mg/dL)
0.004

Unfortunately, the researchers did not comment on the 20.3% decrease in total cholesterol and 18.5% decrease in LDL cholesterol in the placebo group. However, the diet of the aloe group vs. the placebo group may have played a role in these results, as the diet was not strenuously monitored by the researchers.

When suggesting how aloe gel may elicit these healthful effects, the researchers cited mouse studies showing that plant antioxidants called phytosterols isolated from the gel improved blood sugar control (5, 6) and insulin sensitivity (7, 8). For the researchers, “aloe gel may be a safe anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hypercholesterolemic agent for hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients” but that “further and larger clinical trials concerning the efficacy and safety of aloe gel in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes and/or hyperlipidemia…seem necessary.”

Source: Huseini, Hasan Fallah, et al. “Anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hypercholesterolemic effects of Aloe vera leaf gel in hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.” Planta medica 78.04 (2012): 311-316.

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG

Posted March 10, 2016.

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. “Diabetes Statistics” posted on the American Diabetes Association Website
  2. Mudaliar S. New frontiers in the management of type 2 diabetes. Indian J Med Res 2007; 125: 275–296
  3. Tomkin GH. Targets for intervention in dyslipidemia in diabetes. Diabetes Care 2008; 31: S241–S248
  4. Huseini HF. Anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hypercholesterolemic effects of Aloe vera leaf gel in hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Planta Med. 2012 Mar;78(4):311-6. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1280474. Epub 2011 Dec 23
  5. Rajasekaran S, Sivagnanam K, Subramanian S. Mineral contents of Aloe vera leaf gel and their role on streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. Biol Trace Elem Res 2005; 108: 185–195
  6. Tanaka M, Misawa E, Ito Y, Habara N, Nomaquchi K, Yamada M, Toida T, Hayasawa H, Takase M, Inagaki M, Hiquchi R. Identification of five phytosterols from Aloe vera gel as anti-diabetic compounds. Biol Pharm Bull 2006; 29: 1418–1422
  7. Perez YY, Jimenez-Ferrer E, Zamilpa A, Hernandez-Valencia M, Alarcon- Aquilar FJ, Tortoriello J, Roman-Ramos R. Effect of a polyphenol-rich extract from Aloe vera gel on experimentally induced insulin resistance in mice. Am J Chin Med 2007; 35: 1037–1046
  8. Kim K, Kim H, Kwon J, Lee S, Kong H, Im SA, Lee YH, Lee YR, Oh ST, Jo TH, Park YI, Lee CK, Kim K. Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of processed Aloe vera gel in a mouse model of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Phytomedicine 2009; 16: 856–863