herbal edible oils and type II/blood pressure
Date: Posted 10/17/2001
Herbal Oils May Enhance Insulin Sensitivity And Lower
Blood Pressure In Diabetic Rats
(Washington, DC) – Research at Georgetown University
Medical Center has found that a combination of
naturally occurring edible oils may be effective in
treating Type II diabetes. These findings were
presented at the American College of Nutrition’s
annual meeting October 6 and 7 in Orlando, Fla.
Harry G. Preuss, MD, MACN, CNS, professor of
physiology and biophysics at Georgetown and the lead
investigator of this study, and his research team,
examined the effects of a combination of edible oils
from fenugreek, cumin, pumpkin seed and oregano on
rats that have been specifically bred to show many of
the characteristics of type 2 diabetes. A single dose
of the oils decreased the rats’ blood pressure, and
daily doses kept the blood pressure at the lower level
for the three-week study period. But when researchers
stopped giving the oil mixture, blood pressure
returned to its normal levels.
“Patients taking drugs to treat Type II diabetes
mellitus, a disease that often accompanies obesity,
can develop serious adverse drug reactions,” Preuss
said. “For this reason, it is important to examine the
potential of safe and proven natural products to treat
this increasingly wide-spread condition.”
Additionally, the oils given to the diabetic rats
enhanced their sensitivity to the insulin doses they
received to keep their glucose levels stable, meaning
that they needed less insulin to achieve the same
effect.
“Our results suggest that combinations of various
edible oils improve glucose metabolism in these
diabetic rats, and may be important in the treatment
of different forms of human diabetes as well as the
high blood pressure that often accompanies it,” Preuss
said. “We are encouraged by the results of this small
study and plan to conduct more research to try to find
new ways to treat diabetes with fewer side effects.”
This study was sponsored by Waukegan, Ill.-based North
American Herb and Spice.
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Note: This story has been adapted from a news release
issued by Georgetown University Medical Center for
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