Researchers from the University of Alabama have found a potentially great supplement to help treat metabolic syndrome. This condition represents a variety of risk factors, such as excess abdominal fat, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, which put you at greater risk for heart disease.
The supplement they have found is kudzu. Kudzu is a fast- growing vine that has spread through the southeast U.S. Now, it may prove to be a valuable natural remedy for metabolic syndrome, which affects 50 million Americans.
The findings are published in the latest "Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry." Studies have shown that substances called "isoflavones" found in kudzu root helped regulate the factors that impact metabolic syndrome -- namely, blood pressure cholesterol and blood glucose. They even identified the one isoflavone that exerted the greatest effect: puerarin.
The puerarin in kudzu helped lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol to a significant extent, the study showed. But it went even further in an amazing ability to regulate blood glucose, a.k.a. blood sugar. Too much of the latter in your blood is linked to type 2 diabetes and obesity. The study found that puerarin regulated glucose by steering it to places where the body needs it more, like the muscles. And it steered it away from where it could be damaging, such as fat cells and blood vessels.
The one issue is that this was an animal study, but that is where studies begin before they make the road to human trials.
Consider the results preliminary, but nobody has to hold the excitement. And since it is herbal medicine and not drugs or conventional medicine, people are free to try it without worrying as much about safety issues. That said, anyone with metabolic syndrome, or any health condition, should consult a doctor before self-treating with alternative medicine.
To that end, the researchers say they have to understand why kudzu works in this way before it can be recommended as a supplement. Also needed is knowledge of who exactly benefits the most from it. "Is this something that children should take or perhaps those at risk for stroke or heart disease?" the lead research asked.
Keep your eye on this possibility: kudzu root or puerarin itself becoming a supplement specifically used to help regulate insulin (which brings sugar into cells from the blood) and blood pressure. It could lower the need for pharmaceutical treatment.
Kudzu has long been used as a dietary supplement in Asian countries, most commonly as a tea or a powder. The climate of the American Southeast is ideal for kudzu, which is native to China and Japan and was brought to the United States in the 1930s for erosion control. Kudzu vines can grow as much as a foot per day during the summer and can overwhelm trees, power poles and buildings if left unchecked.
And remember, you can always get more natural health advice, the latest alternative health breakthroughs and news, plus information about nutrition, alternative remedies and cures and doctors health advice, all free when you sign up for the Bel Marra Newsletter. Visit http://belmarrahealth.com now to find out how to start your
free subscription.
The supplement they have found is kudzu. Kudzu is a fast- growing vine that has spread through the southeast U.S. Now, it may prove to be a valuable natural remedy for metabolic syndrome, which affects 50 million Americans.
The findings are published in the latest "Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry." Studies have shown that substances called "isoflavones" found in kudzu root helped regulate the factors that impact metabolic syndrome -- namely, blood pressure cholesterol and blood glucose. They even identified the one isoflavone that exerted the greatest effect: puerarin.
The puerarin in kudzu helped lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol to a significant extent, the study showed. But it went even further in an amazing ability to regulate blood glucose, a.k.a. blood sugar. Too much of the latter in your blood is linked to type 2 diabetes and obesity. The study found that puerarin regulated glucose by steering it to places where the body needs it more, like the muscles. And it steered it away from where it could be damaging, such as fat cells and blood vessels.
The one issue is that this was an animal study, but that is where studies begin before they make the road to human trials.
Consider the results preliminary, but nobody has to hold the excitement. And since it is herbal medicine and not drugs or conventional medicine, people are free to try it without worrying as much about safety issues. That said, anyone with metabolic syndrome, or any health condition, should consult a doctor before self-treating with alternative medicine.
To that end, the researchers say they have to understand why kudzu works in this way before it can be recommended as a supplement. Also needed is knowledge of who exactly benefits the most from it. "Is this something that children should take or perhaps those at risk for stroke or heart disease?" the lead research asked.
Keep your eye on this possibility: kudzu root or puerarin itself becoming a supplement specifically used to help regulate insulin (which brings sugar into cells from the blood) and blood pressure. It could lower the need for pharmaceutical treatment.
Kudzu has long been used as a dietary supplement in Asian countries, most commonly as a tea or a powder. The climate of the American Southeast is ideal for kudzu, which is native to China and Japan and was brought to the United States in the 1930s for erosion control. Kudzu vines can grow as much as a foot per day during the summer and can overwhelm trees, power poles and buildings if left unchecked.
And remember, you can always get more natural health advice, the latest alternative health breakthroughs and news, plus information about nutrition, alternative remedies and cures and doctors health advice, all free when you sign up for the Bel Marra Newsletter. Visit http://belmarrahealth.com now to find out how to start your
free subscription.
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