MedS Aid Newsletter 7th - 13th of October | Page 7

BITTER GOURD: To reduce blood glucose
Bitter gourd is a popular
vegetable in some Asian
countries, where the health
benefits of the plant are
well-known—particularly,
its ability to lower blood glucose in diabetics. Bitter gourd has been used to
treat diabetes in traditional medicine.
Bitter gourd is not like most medicinal drugs, which are effective only in one
target organ or tissue; rather, it influences glucose metabolism all over the
body.
The glucose metabolism starts in the gut. Carbohydrates and
sugars are metabolized to glucose (one type of sugar) before glucose is
transported from the gut to the blood. Bitter gourd reduces the amount of
glucose that is released into the blood by inhibiting the enzymes that
break down disaccharides to two monosaccharides (e.g. glucose). Bitter
gourd can influence the transport channels for glucose, which also
reduces glucose transport into the blood. This effect is important for the
treatment of both Type I and Type II diabetic patients and helps to prevent
high blood sugar levels after meals.
In Type I diabetes, also called insulin-dependent diabetes, the
pancreas does not secrete enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels low.
Bitter gourd has been shown to be effective in treating Type I diabetes, by
increasing pancreatic insulin secretion. Additionally, scientists found an
insulin-like molecule in bitter gourd. Although bitter gourd may reduce the
number of insulin injections required to manage Type 1 diabetes, it cannot
replace insulin treatment completely or heal this form of the disease.
In Type II diabetes, also called insulin- independent diabetes the
liver, skeletal muscle, and fat tissues do not respond adequately to insulin—