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Mulberry leaf extract reduces the glycemic indexes of four common dietary carbohydrates.

  • 2018-08
  • Medicine 97(34)
    • Ruihua Wang
    • Yanfen Li
    • Wei Mu
    • Ziqiang Li
    • Jinxia Sun
    • Baohe Wang
    • Zhong Zhong
    • Xiuzhen Luo
    • Chen Xie
    • Yuhong Huang

Study Design

Type
Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
Sample size
n = 15
Population
15 healthy volunteers
Methods
Single-center, randomized, open-label, 7-cycle self-controlled crossover study; participants received glucose (3 occasions), glucose+MLE, sucrose+MLE, maltose+MLE, and maltodextrin+MLE orally during 7 visits every 3 days
Blinding
Open-label
Funding
Unclear

Background

1-Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), a component of mulberry leaf extract (MLE), reduces postprandial hyperglycemia by inhibiting intestinal a-glycosidase. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the effects of MLE on the glycemic indexes (GI) of common dietary carbohydrates.

Methods

This single-center, randomized, open-label, 7-cycle self-controlled crossover study enrolled 15 healthy volunteers at the National Drug Clinical Trial Institution, Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (June 2014 to December 2014). The participants were randomized to receive glucose (3 occasions), glucose+MLE, sucrose+MLE, maltose+MLE, and maltodextrin+MLE orally during 7 visits (every 3 days). Blood glucose level was tested at 15 minutes before and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after carbohydrate intake. The GI of each carbohydrate relative to glucose (GI = 100) was calculated using the incremental area under the curve method. Safety was assessed at each visit.

Results

All participants completed the protocol. After carbohydrate ingestion, blood glucose level peaked at 30 minutes (glucose, glucose+MLE, sucrose+MLE, and maltose+MLE) or 45 minutes (maltodextrin+MLE) before returning to preprandial levels at 120 minutes. At 30 minutes, the change in blood glucose level was lower for sucrose+MLE, maltose+MLE, and maltodextrin+MLE than for glucose or glucose+MLE (P < .05). GI was lowest for sucrose+MLE (43.22 ± 17.47) and maltose+MLE (49.23 ± 22.39), intermediate for maltodextrin+MLE (75.90 ± 26.01), and higher for glucose+MLE (91.88 ± 27.24). MLE reduced the GIs for maltose, sucrose, maltodextrin, and glucose by 53.11%, 33.51%, 31.00%, and 8.12%, respectively. MLE was well tolerated.

Conclusions

Coconsumption of MLE with sucrose, maltose, or maltodextrin can reduce the GI values of these carbohydrates.

Trial registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Platform, no. ChiCTR-IPR-15006484. Registered on May 28, 2015.

Research Insights

Adverse Events Reported

  • White Mulberry→Overall tolerability

    MLE was well tolerated.

    Finding
    Reported
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