Useful Dietary Extras for Diabetics . . .

Back in 2004 we heard that the use of cinnamon to reduce the effects of type 2 diabetes – a daily intake of 1-6 grams daily was shown in an Indian study to lower fasting blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Now a University of Georgia study, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food , suggests that certain herbs and spices, apart from being rich in antioxidants, may also be potent inhibitors of tissue damage and inflammation caused by high blood sugar levels.
Extracts from 24 common herbs and spices were examined for antioxidant-rich compounds known as phenols and their ability to inhibit glycation. (Glycation occurs when sugars react with proteins resulting in damage that is just as detrimental as free radical damage. When blood sugar levels are high, glycation occurs to form advanced glycation end products, also known as AGE compounds. These activate the immune system, resulting in the inflammation and tissue damage associated with aging and diabetes.) The researchers found a link between the levels of antioxidant-rich compounds known as phenols and the ability of the extracts to block glycation.
Cloves and cinnamon – both spices - had phenol levels that were 30% and 18% of dry weight, respectively, while herbs such as oregano and sage were 8% and 6%, respectively. For comparison, blueberries - which are widely touted for their antioxidant capabilities - contain roughly five percent phenol by dry weight. Spices and herbs have a very low calorie content, so they are a good way to get a lot of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power into the diet.
Another recent report, published in the journal Diabetes , describes how a compound called sulforaphane, found in broccoli, increases the enzymes that protect the heart blood vessels, reducing the molecules that damage them. People with diabetes have a 5-times greater risk of developing heart disease or stroke; their blood levels of oxidative molecules (called ‘reactive oxidative species’) is 3 times the normal level, due to high blood glucose. The lab test-tube study showed that sulforaphane reduced reactive oxidative species in cultured vessel-lining cells (endothelium) by activating a cellular protein that reversed the process.

The take-home message for type 2 diabetics: eat your broccoli with a generous helping of spices or herbs; and then have a glass of ‘gluehwein’ – hot red wine stirred with a few cloves and stirred with a cinnamon stick or two (not too much added sugar, though!).