Type 1 diabetes is one of the so-called “incurable diseases” that affects millions of people around the world. Unlike type 2 diabetes, where the body becomes resistant to its own insulin, type 1 is characterized by the body’s inability to produce enough insulin, as the beta cells in the pancreas, which are responsible for insulin production (and proinsulin from which it is made), are destroyed or severely damaged.
This can be due to autoimmune issues, bacterial or viral infections, incompatible foods in the diet, and chemical exposures (or a combination of one or more of these factors), to name just a few of the main triggers.
However, much published and peer-reviewed research indicates that plant compounds, including many found in commonly consumed foods, are capable of stimulating beta cell regeneration in the pancreas and, as a result, may provide a natural treatment.
Perhaps this is something the for-profit model of medicine, which feeds off the concept of the incurability of the diseased human body in favor of symptom management, is not eager to hear.
Regenerative potential of beta cells to treat diabetes
The discovery of the regenerative potential of beta cells from various foods and compounds is set to bring down a burgeoning diabetes industry, with millions of dollars of public and private money continually being poured into fundraising efforts for a future “cure”.
A cure that will presumably be delivered through prohibitively expensive pharmaceuticals, vaccines, or biologics (e.g., stem cells, islet cell xenotransplantation), which by the very nature of the FDA’s drug approval process requires the promotion of synthetic compounds (and therefore patentable) rather than natural.
Let’s look at a preclinical study on the subject, published in Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. An active fraction of flaxseed, which the researchers called the active fraction, has been shown to Linun usitassimum (LU6), generates a wide range of benefits in an animal model of type 1 diabetes, including the following:
- Better use of glucose in the liver
- Supported normalized glycogenesis (glucose-forming activity) in liver and muscle tissue
- Decreased pancreatic and intestinal glucosidase inhibitory activity, resulting in lower post-meal blood sugar elevations
Even more remarkable was the observation that this flaxseed compound normalized plasma insulin and C-peptide levels (C-peptide is not a C-reactive protein, but is a direct indicator of the amount of insulin produced by beta cells in the brain). body), an indication that beta cell function has effectively been restored.
Study results for the treatment of type 1 diabetes
The researchers described the truly surprising results as follows:
Normalization of plasma levels of C-peptide and insulin was observed in diabetic mice, indicating endogenous insulin secretion after treatment with LU6.
Histochemical and immunohistochemical analysis of pancreatic islets suggest a role for the LU6 fraction in islet regeneration and insulin secretion, as evident in increased insulin production in functional pancreatic islets.
Furthermore, significant formation of insulin-producing islets was also observed in PANC-1 cells in vitro after LU6 treatment, indicating that the cell aggregates are newly formed islets. This suggests the potential of the LU6 fraction in the formation of new islets in vitro as well as in vivo. Therefore, LU6 can be used as a nutraceutical-based first-line treatment for diabetes.
Background on the use of natural substances such as flaxseed and others in the treatment of blood sugar
Note that this is not the first time that flaxseed has improved blood sugar disorders. We have some studies on GreenMedInfo.com already indexed on the subject that you can see here: Flaxseed and Diabetes .
In addition, we found a wide range of natural substances experimentally proven to stimulate beta cell regeneration, 10 of which are listed below:
- arginine: A 2007 study found that the amino acid L-arginine is able to stimulate beta cell genesis in an animal model of alloxan-induced diabetes.
- Avocado: A 2007 study found that avocado seed extract lowered blood sugar in diabetic rats. The researchers observed a restorative and protective effect on pancreatic islet cells in the treated group.
- berberine Commonly found in herbs like barberry and goldenseal, a 2009 study found that this plant compound induces beta cell regeneration in diabetic rats, which explains why it has been used for 1,400 years in China to treat diabetes.
- Chard: A 2000 study found that chard extract given to diabetic rats stimulates the recovery of damaged beta cells.
- corn silk (corn silk): A 2009 study found that corn silk lowered blood sugar and stimulated beta cell regeneration in type 1 diabetic mice.
- curcumin (from turmeric): A 2010 study found that curcumin stimulated beta cell regeneration in type 1 diabetic mice. Additionally, a 2008 study found that curcumin preserved pancreatic islet cell survival and transplant efficiency.
- genistein (from soy, red clover): A 2010 study found that genistein induces pancreatic beta cell proliferation through activation of multiple signaling pathways and prevents insulin-deficient diabetes in mice.
- Honey: A 2010 human study found that prolonged consumption of honey may have positive effects on the metabolic disturbances of type 1 diabetes, including possible regeneration of beta cells, as indicated by increased fasting C-peptide levels.
- nigella sativa (black seed): A 2003 animal study found that consumption of black seed led to partial regeneration/proliferation of beta cells. A 2010 human study also found that consuming 1 gram of black seed daily for up to 12 weeks had a wide range of beneficial effects in diabetics, including increasing beta cell function.
- stevia– A 2011 human study found that stevia has antidiabetic properties, including revitalizing damaged beta cells, comparing favorably with the drug glibenclamide, but without the adverse effects.