Moringa Supplementation Improves Glycemic Control in Adults with Prediabetes

by | Jul 18, 2022 | 2022, Botanicals, Diabetes

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. Results of the study show a significant correlation between 400 mg moringa supplementation and changes in HbA1c levels and the basal TNF-α value (r=0.361; p=0.050; r=0.375; p=0.045).

man testing blood sugarDiabetes is a disease with one of the most rapid increases in prevalence globally and the number of people living with diabetes is projected to increase to around 59 million by 2035 1. Prediabetes, the early phase of diabetes, encompasses paired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance and is diagnosed if HbA1c levels are 5.7-6.4% or if fasting glucose is between 100 and 125 mg/dL 2. Around 1 in 3 Americans over the age of 18 years old have prediabetes, with about 5-10% of people with prediabetes progressing to diabetes annually 3. One component of diabetes pathogenesis is chronic oxidative stress which is a causative factor in developing insulin resistance 4.

Moringa, a medicinal plant, has been studied due to its potent bioactive ingredients, such as phenolic acids, vitamins, flavonoids, and tannins 5. The leaves of the moringa plant are rich sources of nutrition and have been used to treat a variety of chronic diseases, including hypertension, pain, inflammation, and diabetes mellitus 6. The antidiabetic activity of moringa may encompass various mechanisms of action, such as the stimulation of insulin secretion, increase of glucose uptake in the muscles and liver, inhibition of glucose uptake from the intestine, and antioxidative properties 7.

Diaz-Prieto et al. conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group intervention with adults with prediabetes. Participants (n=73) were randomized to the placebo (PLC, n=35) and moringa (MO, n=38, 6 capsules containing 400 mg of MO dry leaf powder) groups and were instructed to take 2 capsules before each main meal for 12 weeks. Three visits were conducted at baseline (0 weeks), 6 weeks and 12 weeks. TAC measurements were performed to determine the lipid-soluble antioxidant capacity in blood plasma. A three-day dietary registry form was completed, along with the collection of anthropometrical measurements.

A decision tree approach was conducted to better assess if individual characteristics related to cardiometabolic and inflammatory status influenced the glycemic response to MO supplementation of patients with prediabetes. The aim of this analysis was to classify cases into Respondent (improves HbA1c) or Non-respondent (does not improve HbA1c). Significant results of the 12-week study are as follows:

  • Decision tree analyses showed that TNF-α plasma concentration was significantly associated with 77% correct classification of participants as respondents or non-respondents to MO supplementation, with a discriminant threshold at 7.330 pg/mL.
  • In the MO supplementation group, a significant correlation between the change in HbA1c and the basal TNF-α value was observed (r=0.361; p=0.050; r=0.375; p=0.045).
  • In the MO supplemented group, 58% of subjects improved their HbA1c values during the study, compared to 38% in the PLC group.
  • No effect of treatment was observed on variables of intestinal health, blood lipid profiles, antioxidant levels, or hsCRP levels.

Study findings assessing MO supplementation on HbA1c and TNF-α levels show that moringa supplementation at 400 mg resulted in a significant improvement in both markers. Furthermore, study observations indicate that chronic low-grade inflammation may alter the efficacy of MO supplementation for glucose control. A study limitation is the low amount of MO used in the study compared to other comparable trials.

Source: Díaz-Prieto, Ligia E., Sonia Gómez-Martínez, Iván Vicente-Castro, Carlos Heredia, Elena A. González-Romero, María del Carmen Martín-Ridaura, Mercedes Ceinos, María J. Picón, Ascensión Marcos, and Esther Nova. “Effects of Moringa oleifera Lam. Supplementation on Inflammatory and Cardiometabolic Markers in Subjects with Prediabetes.” Nutrients 14, no. 9 (2022): 1937.

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

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Posted July 18, 2022.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

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