Antioxidants and Diabetes Mellitus: Health Benefits of Antioxidants

What are the health benefits of antioxidant supplements to diabetes mellitus?

What is diabetes mellitus?

This post summarizes recent research on antioxidants and diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the beta-cells of the pancreas do not produce enough insulin or the body does not respond to insulin as it should (insulin resistance). When one eats a meal, the carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. This raises the glucose level in blood. The body responds to high blood glucose level by secreting insulin from the pancreas. Insulin facilitates the entry of glucose into fat, liver and muscle cells for storage. The blood glucose level returns to normal range. In patients with diabetes mellitus, the blood glucose level remains high. High blood glucose level can cause damage in kidneys, nerve and eyes, and can increase risk of heart disease and stroke.

There are three main types of diabetes mellitus, type 1, type 2 and gestational. Type 1 diabetes is an insulin-dependent condition caused by autoimmune attack on ones pancreas, usually at an early age. Type 2 diabetes is an adult onset condition and oxidative stress plays an important role in its development. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy.

Antioxidants and diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the result of a progressive loss of beta-cell mass and function. Beta-cells are cells of pancreas responsible for the production and secretion of insulin. Although beta-cell dysfunction may be the result of many pathogenic pathways, oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of diabetes mellitus. Chronic hyperglycemia (condition with high blood glucose level) induces free radical production in beta-cells, resulting in oxidative stress of the beta-cells. Oxidative stress reduces insulin production and secretion from beta-cells. It also increases insulin resistance of peripheral tissues, and induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) of beta-cells. If left unchecked, it will eventually lead to diabetes mellitus. Since antioxidants can mitigate the effect of oxidative stress, intake of antioxidants may help slow the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Limited animal and human studies have produced promising results.

Reference

Yaribeygi H, Sathyapalan T, Atkin SL, Sahebkar A. Molecular Mechanisms Linking Oxidative Stress and Diabetes Mellitus. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2020:8609213, 2020.

Health benefits of astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is the red-orange, lipid-soluble carotenoid pigment found in microalgae, krill, salmon, shrimp, crabs and lobster. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Animal studies show that astaxanthin protects beta-cells by reducing blood glucose concentration and preventing high-glucose-induced free radical production. It reduces the levels of inflammation-related proteins. It also improves insulin secretion and reduces insulin resistance. Furthermore, it lowers blood pressure, serum triglyceride and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. On the other hands, it increases HDL (good) cholesterol level. Therefore, with proper diet control and medication, astaxanthin may help reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications, such as heart disease, stroke, neuropathy (dysfunction of peripheral nerves), kidney failure and vision loss. For more information on astaxanthin supplement, please go to this page.

References

Health benefits of curcumin

Curcumin is the yellow pigment found in turmeric powder, which is a component of curry. It has antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer properties. It has the potential to prevent a wide variety of inflammatory diseases. A study shows that a dose of 250 mg/day is able to protect people with prediabetes from becoming diabetes. Furthermore, it reduces lipogenesis in liver and increases activity of lipid mobilization enzymes. Hence, it helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides, and increases HDL (good) cholesterol. In another study using a dose of 300 mg/day, it lowers HbA1c, serum level of glucose and insulin resistance. It also decreases vascular inflammation and reduces lipid peroxidation. Therefore, it helps prevent or delay development of cardiovascular diseases in diabetes. For more information on curcumin supplement, please go to this page.

Reference

Pivari F, Mingione A, Brasacchio C, Soldati L. Curcumin and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Prevention and Treatment. Nutrients. 11: E1837, 2019.

Health benefits of resveratrol

Resveratrol is a polyphenolic antioxidant present in peanuts, red grapes, apples, black olives, berries and red wines. It is a strong scavenger of free radicals and can also induce activities of numerous antioxidant enzymes. Recent studies showed that pre-diabetic conditions can be reversed by proper diet. Resveratrol is able to reduce fasting glucose level, and decrease oxidative damage of beta-cells of the pancreas to improve insulin secretion. It also improves insulin sensitivity to reduce insulin resistance. However, it has no effect on inflammation. Nevertheless, resveratrol supplement seems to be effective in the management of diabetes mellitus. More research need to be done in this area. For more information on resveratrol supplement, please go to this page.