Effect of Sea Buckthorn on Plasma Glucose in Individuals with Impaired Glucose Regulation: A Two-Stage Randomized Crossover Intervention Study

Abstract

Sea buckthorn (SB) has been indicated to have hypoglycemic potential, but its effects on glucose in people with impaired glucose regulation (IGR) are still unclear. This work presents a randomized, double-blinded, two-way crossover study. A total of 38 subjects with IGR completed the intervention of consuming sea buckthorn fruit puree (SBFP, 90 mL/day, five weeks), washing out (four weeks), and then consuming placebo (90 mL/day, five weeks) or in reverse order. In our methodology, a unified questionnaire was used to gather information on physical activity and dietary intakes, and physical examinations were performed to measure blood pressure, height, and weight. Fasting blood samples were collected to detect the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated serum protein (GSP). To calculate the area under the curve of 2 h postprandial plasma glucose (2 h PG-AUC), blood samples at t = 30, 60, and 120 min were also collected and analyzed. Effects of the intervention were evaluated by paired-sample Wilcoxon test and mixed model analyses. Our results show that the FPG in subjects with IGR decreased by a median reduction of 0.14 mmol/L after five weeks’ consumption of SBFP, but increased by a median of 0.07 mmol/L after placebo intervention, and the comparison of these two interventions was statistically significant (p = 0.045). During the wash-out period, a similar difference was observed as the FPG decreased in the group that received SBFP intervention first, but increased in another group (p = 0.043). Both SBFP and placebo significantly raised GSP during the intervention period, but lowered it in the wash-out period (p < 0.05), while no significant difference was found between the two interventions. The 2 h PG-AUC remained relatively stable throughout the study. Our results indicated that consumption of SBFP for five weeks showed a slight downward trend on FPG in subjects with IGR.

Functional Yogurt Fortified with Honey Produced by Feeding Bees Natural Plant Extracts for Controlling Human Blood Sugar Level

“…Sea buckthorn belongs to the family Elaeagnaceae, and its berries are associated with reducing the risk of many human diseases such as those that are cardiovascular [ 55 ]. This plant also has a distinguished potential for reducing blood glucose as an antidiabetic agent through glycemic control [ 32 , 56 ]. In human trials, applying 40 g of dried sea buckthorn to 200 g yogurt and 50 g glucose has been suggested to suppress peak insulin response and stabilize postprandial hyperglycemia [ 32 ].…”

“…This plant also has a distinguished potential for reducing blood glucose as an antidiabetic agent through glycemic control [ 32 , 56 ]. In human trials, applying 40 g of dried sea buckthorn to 200 g yogurt and 50 g glucose has been suggested to suppress peak insulin response and stabilize postprandial hyperglycemia [ 32 ]. This plant is also rich in many bioactive compounds including flavonoids and fat-soluble vitamins such as A, E, and K [ 32 ].…”

“…In human trials, applying 40 g of dried sea buckthorn to 200 g yogurt and 50 g glucose has been suggested to suppress peak insulin response and stabilize postprandial hyperglycemia [ 32 ]. This plant is also rich in many bioactive compounds including flavonoids and fat-soluble vitamins such as A, E, and K [ 32 ]. Although, the role of sea buckthorn in reducing the blood sugar level was confirmed by many studies (e.g., [ 32 , 55 ]), the current study showed no significant difference before and after applying yogurt fortified with honey from bees fed on sea buckthorn extract ( Figure 4 ).…”

“…Functional foods are foods that are used for specific therapeutic purposes or human health because of their high content of bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids and compounds, stilbenes, and lignans, tannins, terpenes, and terpenoids [ 26 , 27 ]. Several nutrients or bioactive ingredients have been applied to different kinds of foods through the fortification process, such as producing functional foods with honey and/or yogurt, microalgae or chlorella alga [ 28 , 29 , 30 ], sea buckthorn [ 31 , 32 , 33 ], and walnut [ 34 , 35 ]. These functional foods have the potential for health-promoting attributes [ 36 ].…”

Anti‐Hyperglycemic Effects of Oils and Extracts Derived from Sea Buckthorn – A Comprehensive Analysis Utilizing In Vitro and In Vivo Models

“…[ 9 , 10 ] In human subjects, sea buckthorn fruits improved postprandial glycemic profile [ 11 ] and application for five weeks led to decreased fasting plasma glucose levels in subjects with impaired glucose regulation. [ 12 ] In contrast, no effect on fasting plasma glucose levels was observed in obese subjects not selected for impaired glucose regulation. [ 13 ]…”