By Jane Collingwood
There is a possibility that Chinese herbal medicines have help prevent diabetes, but more evidence is needed, experts say today.
In a Cochrane Review of the findings so far, a team led by Suzanne Grant of the University of Western Sydney in Australia, say that herbal medicines are widely used in Asian countries to treat impaired glucose tolerance, or pre-diabetes.
But they found that more research is required to say for sure whether Chinese herbal medicines can reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes.
Ms Grant said: "People with impaired glucose tolerance are more likely to develop full blown diabetes and it may be possible to prevent or delay the onset of the disease through lifestyle changes and medication.
"Chinese herbal medicines have been used for this purpose for a long time, so there is plenty of anecdotal evidence for their safety and effectiveness, but we were interested to find out whether scientific research could provide a basis for recommending these alternative treatments."
Herbal pills, teas and powders are widely used in China, Korea and Japan to help normalise blood sugar levels by improving pancreatic function and increasing the availability of the hormone insulin.
After combining the results of 16 clinical trials including 1,391 people who received 15 different herbal formulations, the team conclude that "combining herbal medicines with lifestyle changes is twice as effective as lifestyle changes alone at normalising patients’ blood sugar levels".
"The real value of the study is as guidance for further trials," said Ms Grant. "We need to see more trials that make comparisons with placebos and other types of drugs, and better reporting on the outcomes of these trials."
Grant, S. J. et al. Chinese herbal medicines for people with impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting blood glucose. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD006690.
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