Moringa has been a traditional treatment for diabetics across Africa and Asia for years. And this isn’t just another folk treatment with unproven benefits. Modern science is showing more and more that taking moringa for diabetes can be done as a natural treatment or even as a potential cure.
One such study from the Journal of Diabetes was conducted by giving diabetic rats moringa pod extract for 21 days. The results showed that there was a significant decrease glucose levels and the overall progression of diabetes. It also showed increases in antioxidant levels in the pancreatic tissue.
And this study is not the only one. Another published in 2009 in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology shows the same thing. This study was performed on hyperglycemic rats, aka diabetic rats. They tested rats that were mildly, moderately, and several diabetic. The more diabetic the rats, the more the decrease in blood glucose levels. These levels fell from 26.7 – 32.8%, which is pretty significant.
Moringa is jammed packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that could be the cause of its anti-diabetic effects. The fact that it is a proven treatment for diabetes is known but there is still much research that needs to be done on why it works.
Some of its contents which have proven to have benefits for those with diabetes include a protein isolate from its leaves and vitamin A.
There haven’t been many studies that have looked into the moringa’s proteins and their possible effect on diabetes, but there are some.
One study from PubMed that I came across experimented with the possibility that moringa’s proteins are the reason for its positive effects on diabetes. In this study scientists isolated a leaf protein isolate and gave this to diabetic mice. The results were that this protein isolate significantly reduced blood glucose levels.
Now of course these mice were given extreme amounts of this isolated protein but it proves the point. The point that the protein in moringa is one of possibly many things that make it a good natural treatment for diabetes.
Not only does moringa help directly reverse the progression of diabetes, but it also can help reduce side effects that come from this disease.
One very unfortunate side effect of the disease is diabetic retinopathy. This occurs when diabetes affects the retina in the eye. This is the light-sensitive tissue that is a necessary component in the process of vision. This condition can lead to blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy is extremely common in diabetics over the age of 40 and is the number 1 cause of blindness in working age adults.
One way to combat this condition is by getting adequate doses of vitamin A, which moringa has an abundance of. Without this vitamin we would all be blind. Metabolized vitamin a is responsible for making ospins (type of proteins) light sensitive so that light can be converted into electrical signals which then go to the brain and form images.
According to MayoClinic the RDA for vitamin A is 900 micrograms for men and 700 micrograms for women.
The logical question to ask next is how much vitamin A is in moringa?
The USDA’s moringa analysis lists that there is 378mcg of vitamin A in 100g of dried moringa leaves. If you are looking at purchasing moringa supplements then this is a lot higher. After looking at many of the top rated moringa powders out there on the market the amount of vitamin A they contain is around 165mcg per 1g of powder.
This means that by supplementing just 1g of moringa powder you can get 18% of the RDA if you are a man and 23% if you are a woman.
I don’t see why not. Its a healthy and natural treatment that has been used for centuries and is being proven to work more and more by scientific findings. Of course you should consult with your doctor beforehand to make sure it is ok, but if you are in the clear then I would give it a try.
There are many benefits to be had from moringa, being able to take it as a treatment for diabetes is just one of them.
Kyle is an avid health enthusiast that believes in nature as a cure-all. When he's not drinking spirulina smoothies or dealing with the horrible aftertaste of stevia, he is probably working out, researching healthy herbs, or dealing with hand cramps he gets from writing articles like this.
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