If you are a diabetes patient and looking for some natural ways of getting better, then we have a solution for you! Actually, your kitchen has a solution for you.
A Diet enriched with antioxidant phytochemicals like Curcumin, Hesperidin and Rutin can do wonders in reducing the health impacts of diabetes.
Curcumin is present in the spice Turmeric; Hesperidin can be obtained from citrus fruits, honey, apples, tomatoes etc. and Rutin from a variety of fruits and vegetables including citrus fruits, red grapes, onions, broccoli etc.
Table of Contents
What exactly is happening to you when your doctor tells you that you are suffering from diabetes?
Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce sufficient amounts of insulin for glucose metabolism. As a result, the glucose levels in the blood rise.
The liver also plays an important role in glucose metabolism by converting glucose to glycogen.
Diabetes leads to an increase in the reactive oxygen species concentration and hence, causes oxidative stress in the liver.
How will Curcumin, Hesperidin and Rutin help?
When a group of scientists administered a mixture of these phytochemicals in female mice which was made to suffer from diabetes by administering streptozotocin, they found that the glucose levels in the blood dropped and concentration of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species reduced.
The mixture was given to the mice orally (200mg/kg per body) for 14 days.
Administration of the phytochemical mixture helped to reduce the effect of lipid peroxidation and increase the expression of superoxide dismutase and glutathione which are powerful antioxidants.
It also helped in the reduction of cell death in liver tissue by decreasing the expression of anti-apoptotic genes and increasing the expression of pro-apoptotic genes.
Summary
Diabetes is a condition where the process of conversion of glucose into energy disrupts and hence, glucose accumulates in the blood.
This causes oxidative damage of the liver which is actively involved in glucose metabolism in hyperglycemic conditions.
Phytochemicals like Curcumin, hesperidin and Rutin are powerful antioxidants and produce therapeutic effects by increasing the expression of antioxidant enzymes.
They prevent cell death in liver tissues and reduce lipid peroxidation.
A balanced diet rich in these compounds thus decreases the concentration of glucose in blood and ameliorates oxidative damage of the liver.