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  • Mediterranean diet’s aromatic herbs lower blood sugar

    Mediterranean diet’s aromatic herbs lower blood sugar

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    In a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, researchers from Spain investigated the influence of aromatic herbs and spices in the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) on the glycemic profiles of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). They found that black cumin, cinnamon, ginger, curcumin, and saffron significantly lowered fasting blood glucose levels. Further, they found that black cumin and ginger significantly improved glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in T2DM patients, while cinnamon and ginger significantly lowered insulin concentration.

    Review: Changes in food preferences and ingestive behaviors after glucagon-like peptide-1 analog treatment: techniques and opportunities. Image Credit: aboikis / ShutterstocReview: Changes in food preferences and ingestive behaviors after glucagon-like peptide-1 analog treatment: techniques and opportunities. Image Credit: aboikis / Shutterstock

    Background

    T2DM is a critical healthcare concern, affecting 460 million people globally. Its prevalence has surged in the past four decades, contributing to three or more comorbidities in 60% of patients ten years after diagnosis and causing 6.7 million annual deaths. Various risk factors, including genetics, metabolism, and the environment, influence the disease. While non-modifiable factors like ethnicity and family history play a role, addressing the modifiable risk factors such as lack of physical activity, obesity, and an unhealthy diet can potentially prevent T2DM. Dietary guidance is essential for improving patients’ lifespan and quality of life.

    MedDiet emphasizes high consumption of extra-virgin olive oil, low-glycemic-index carbohydrates, and moderate fish, poultry, and dairy intake. Additionally, it limits the intake of red meat and alcohol. Evidence suggests that MedDiet can positively impact metabolic syndrome and T2DM, as demonstrated by lowered diabetes risk and improved glycemic profiles. The diet incorporates various aromatic herbs and spices, such as black cumin, clove, parsley, saffron, thyme, ginger, black pepper, rosemary, turmeric, basil, oregano, and cinnamon, known for potential health benefits, including antitumor, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and cholesterol-lowering properties. Therefore, researchers in the present study aimed to examine the effect of all these aromatic spices and herbs on the glycemic profiles of T2DM subjects.

    About the study

    For the present systematic review and meta-analysis, databases including Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus to identify peer-reviewed articles and interventional studies. Case studies, commentaries, letters, conference papers, narrative reviews, and studies not conducted in humans or those involving children were excluded. The systematic review included 77 studies, while the meta-analysis included 45 studies (3050 participants).

    The studies involved varying dosages of the spices and herbs and assessed their effect on glycemic profiles. The primary outcomes included fasting glucose, insulin, and HbA1c alterations, while secondary outcomes included variations in body weight and body mass index (BMI). Statistical analysis involved the determination of changes in means and standard deviation and the use of Cochrane Q and Higgins I2 tests. The risk of publication bias was assessed using Egger plots. The quality of the included trials was assessed using the methodology described by Kmet et al.

    Results and discussion

    Cinnamon supplementation significantly reduced fasting glucose in six out of eleven studies. The meta-analysis indicated a reduction of 18.67 mg/dL compared to placebo, but the difference was not statistically significant in considering predictive value. Curcumin supplementation in seven studies showed a significant reduction in fasting glucose (p < 0.001) compared to placebo, with a significant difference including predictive value. Ginger supplementation in ten studies demonstrated a reduction in fasting glucose (17.12 mg/dL, p = 0.0004) compared to placebo, with no significant difference, including predictive value. Black cumin supplementation in eight studies resulted in a significant reduction in fasting glucose (p = 0.0001) compared to placebo, with no significant difference in considering predictive value. Using saffron supplementation resulted in substantially lowering glucose, an effect more pronounced when combined with physical activity. Overall, black cumin demonstrated the most substantial reduction in fasting glucose, followed by cinnamon and ginger.

    Further, only ginger and black cumin exhibited a significant improvement in HbA1c, and cinnamon and ginger significantly decreased insulin levels. Among the analyzed aromatic herbs and spices in the MedDiet, ginger stood out as the sole contributor to significant decreases in all three examined outcomes: HbA1c, fasting glucose, and insulin level.

    The quality of studies selected for the review (mean score 0.54) was lower than the quality of studies selected for the meta-analysis (mean score 0.68). Despite the large scale of the study, the findings are limited by the lack of consideration of body weight and lifestyle changes affecting fasting glucose levels, alongside challenges posed by varying study quality, inadequate statistical analyses, and the absence of standardized herb dosage information.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, the present study could identify the potential therapeutic benefits of various aromatic herbs and spices in MedDiet for diabetes management. Further research is needed to determine optimal dosages and assess the impact of active components of the herbs and spices, facilitating their application in targeted interventions for glycemic control in T2DM patients.

    Journal reference:

    • Effect of Aromatic Herbs and Spices Present in the Mediterranean Diet on the Glycemic Profile in Type 2 Diabetes Subjects: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Garza MC et al., Nutrients, 16(6):756 (2024), DOI: 10.3390/nu16060756, https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/6/756

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  • Limiting screen time and returning to school early may speed up recovery after a concussion

    Limiting screen time and returning to school early may speed up recovery after a concussion

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    Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have found that when it comes to concussion recovery, activity type matters. In a study published today in British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that limiting screen time and returning to school early following a concussion may speed up recovery.

    Increased time spent in the classroom, participating in some after-school activities or working a job was associated in our study with faster symptom resolution, especially for participants with lower post-acute symptom scores. However, when activities involved significant screen time – like surfing the internet or playing video/computer games – during the first week post-injury, symptoms resolved more slowly.”


    Jingzhen Ginger Yang, PhD, MPH, lead author, principal investigator in the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s

    While some research on pediatric concussion has suggested an earlier introduction of physical activity promotes recovery, little is known about the intensity and duration of cognitive activity post-concussion and its potential influence on concussion recovery outcomes.

    This new study, conducted by experts in Nationwide Children’s Center for Injury Research and Policy, division of Sports Medicine, Center for Biobehavioral Health, and division of Emergency Medicine evaluated the intensity and duration of daily cognitive activity reported by adolescents (age 11-17 years) following concussion and examined the connections between these activities and symptom duration. Participants reported increases in low-intensity cognitive activities – such as listening to music, reading, watching television, and making or receiving phone calls – and total minutes of overall cognitive activities as their symptoms resolved.

    Previous clinical guidelines for youth with concussions have recommended complete physical and mental rest until symptoms resolve to avoid re-injury and reduce the demands on injured tissue. However, recent clinical and experimental data have demonstrated that prolonged physical rest does little to improve functional outcomes, and the resulting isolation and withdrawal can have unintended physical, social and educational consequences.

    “Children and teens should be encouraged to get back to their routines and take part in activities like clubs, jobs and homework after experiencing concussion, but keep in mind that for some patients, prolonged screen time in non-school activities such as gaming or internet scrolling can affect recovery if it is worsening their symptoms,” said co-author Thomas Pommering, DO, division chief and director of concussion clinics of Nationwide Children’s division of Sports Medicine. “We recommend concussion patients pick their screen activity wisely, focusing on school demands first.”

    According to the study, the average time children returned to school after a concussion was almost one week. Symptoms resolved more slowly when returning to school was delayed. Additionally, participating in club activities was associated with faster symptom resolution.

    “Having a better understanding of the appropriate ‘dosing’ and timing of introducing cognitive activity is critically needed for our patients,” explains co-author James MacDonald, MD, MPH, sports medicine physician at Nationwide Children’s. “Increased engagement in the classroom during the first week post-concussion, especially for youth with lower post-concussion symptom scores, can mean symptoms resolve faster and teens get back to normal life.”

    The relationship between level of cognitive activity and symptom resolution may be bidirectional, with improving post-concussion symptoms prompting higher levels of cognitive activity and vice versa. Thus, controlling for current symptom levels when assessing associations between cognitive activity and symptom resolution, as this study did, is crucial.

    This study has several important clinical implications:

    • Adolescents with concussion, especially those with relatively less severe post-acute symptoms, may benefit from moderate- to high-intensity cognitive activity as early as the first week post-injury.

    • Limiting (but not prohibiting) moderate-intensity activities involving significant screen time (e.g., surfing the internet or video/computer gaming) during the first-week post-injury may help speed recovery.

    • Early introduction of returning to school following concussion is an important consideration that may hasten timelines for recovery.

    Families should collaborate with their child’s care team to develop a plan based on injury severity and recovery milestones.

    Source:

    Nationwide Children’s Hospital

    Journal reference:

    Yang, J., et al. (2024). Exploring the association between cognitive activity and symptom resolution following concussion in adolescents aged 11–17 years. British Journal of Sports Medicine. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-107601.

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