Fruit compounds may yield new treatment for obesity, diabetes and heart disease
Combining substances found in red grapes and oranges could yield a treatment beneficial to some patients, study finds; genetic finds about brain tumours in dogs may help humans
A combination of two compounds found in red grapes and oranges could be used to improve the health of people with diabetes, and reduce cases of obesity and heart disease. When given jointly at pharmaceutical doses once a day for eight weeks to 32 overweight and obese study participants, the compounds acted in tandem to decrease blood glucose, improve the action of insulin and improve the health of arteries.
Researchers at the University of Warwick in Britain who conducted the study, published in the journal Diabetes, hope their discovery will be developed to provide a treatment for patients. The two compounds – trans-resveratrol found in red grapes and hesperetin in oranges – act by increasing a protein called glyoxalase 1 (Glo1) in the body which neutralises a sugar-derived compound called methylglyoxal, a major contributor to the damaging effects of sugar.
The study participants, aged between 18 and 80 years old, were given the supplement in capsule form once a day for eight weeks and were asked to maintain their usual diet and physical activity levels. The researchers found that highly overweight subjects, who had body mass indexes of over 27.5, displayed increased Glo1 activity, decreased glucose levels, improved working of insulin, improved artery function and decreased blood vessel inflammation. There was no placebo effect.