갈근 함유탕제의 혈당 강하 효과

초록

Background : Puerarin, the main component of kudzu root, has been shown to lowerblood glucose levels in vivo and in vitro. However, no clinical trials were performed in diabeticpatients. The purpose of this study was to determine whether kudzu root lowers blood glucose orhemoglobin A1c in diabetic patients. Methods : We performed a retrospective study to evaluate whether the use of daily herbal medicineincluding kudzu root with conventional therapy lowers fasting blood glucose, as compared to convensigniftionaltherapy alone. 65 patients with diabetes were included in the study. 20 patients consumed 32-48 g of kudzu root extract daily for at least 20 days (median 34 days) with conventional therapy, and45 patients received conventional diabetic care alone. Fasting blood glucose level was obtained atbaseline and after the administration of herbal medicine. Hemoglobin A1c, cholesterol profiles[LDL(Low-density lipoprotein), HDL(High-density lipoprotein, TG(Triglyceride)] and AST(Aspartatetransaminase), ALT(Alanine transaminase) were measured. Results : The difference between basal and index day fasting glucose level was 14.1 mg/dL (±24.65,p= 0.011) in the kudzu root group was statistically significant. Hemoglobin A1c data were obtainedfrom 27 participants and there was a significant improvement in both, the kudzu root treatmentgroup and the control group, with p values of 0.004 and 0.022, respectively. Cholesterol profiles andliver enzymes did not reveal significant changes. Conclusion : The study findings suggested that kudzu root intake might help to lower serum fastingblood glucose levels in diabetic patients when combined with conventional therapy.

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