Bitter melon, a tropical fruit known by several names, including bitter gourd and wild cucumber, could be effective in controlling certain diseases.
Bitter melon is especially rich in vitamin C, an important micronutrient involved in disease prevention, bone formation, and wound healing.
It’s also high in vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that promotes skin health and proper vision.
Bitter melon contains a chemical that acts like insulin to help reduce blood sugar levels. It has been widely used as a traditional medicine treatment for diabetic patients in Asia.
One study found that bitter gourd juice immediately lowers the blood sugar level in 30 min, and strongly lowers at 120 min.
Another study showed that consuming 2,000 mg of dried, powdered bitter melon every day significantly lowered blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
In the study, patients were divided into 4 groups to receive bitter melon 500 mg/day, 1,000 mg/day, and 2,000 mg/day or metformin 1,000 mg/day. All patients were followed for 4 weeks.
There was a big decline in blood sugar at week 4 of the metformin group and the bitter melon 2,000 mg/day group.
The team says bitter melon had a modest blood-sugar-controlling effect and strongly reduced blood sugar levels. But the effect of bitter melon was less than metformin 1,000 mg/day.
For more information about why bitter melon can benefit diabetics, please check this video
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about a new way to reverse type 2 diabetes and deadly liver disease, and findings of nutrient that may help reduce risk of type 2 diabetes.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies about a common cause of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and results showing this diet can lower risk of type 2 diabetes and help manage blood sugar.
The study is published in Journal of Ethnopharmacology and was conducted by Anjana Fuangchan et al.
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