Sweet potato for type 2 diabetes mellitus

Complementary and alternative medicine in US adults with diabetes: Reasons for use and perceived benefits

“…It is possible that the herbal therapies used for wellness by these adults are herbs used specifically for diabetes, but there is conflicting evidence or insufficient evidence for efficacy in diabetes. [8][9][10][11][12][13] Furthermore, the present study found that those using CAM for both treatment and wellness reported a twofold higher "better sense of control over their health" and "improved overall health and feeling better" than those who used CAM for treatment only. These measures could represent a proxy for healthrelated (HR) QoL.…”

“…Most likely patients are not using chiropractic care to improve their blood glucose, but rather for treatment of other conditions. It is possible that the herbal therapies used for wellness by these adults are herbs used specifically for diabetes, but there is conflicting evidence or insufficient evidence for efficacy in diabetes …”

“…Some evidence exists for the beneficial effects of berberine, cinnamon, coenzyme Q10, mulberry, and vinegar on improving blood sugars and HbA1c, but the evidence for use is conflicting. Cochrane reviews state that there is insufficient evidence to recommend cinnamon, sweet potato, momordica, and ayurvedic treatments for diabetes. In addition, another Cochrane review concluded that although there is some evidence for several Chinese herbal medicines, the findings should be carefully interpreted due to poor methodological quality, limited sample size and a small number of trials.…”

Authors’ reply to Gachi, Mullie and colleagues, and Weatherburn

“…We are aware that sweet potato-which is rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fibre, β carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B6, anthocyanin, and minerals-is considered to be a nutritious vegetable. 3 Studies in animal models indicated that sweet potatoes have hypoglycaemic effects through ameliorating oxidative stress and inflammation and improving pancreatic β cells mass. 4 In humans, sweet potato has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.…”