Wild bitter gourd improves metabolic syndrome: A preliminary dietary supplementation trial

Abstract

BackgroundBitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is a common tropical vegetable that has been used in traditional or folk medicine to treat diabetes. Wild bitter gourd (WBG) ameliorated metabolic syndrome (MetS) in animal models. We aimed to preliminarily evaluate the effect of WBG supplementation on MetS in Taiwanese adults.MethodsA preliminary open-label uncontrolled supplementation trial was conducted in eligible fulfilled the diagnosis of MetS from May 2008 to April 2009. A total of 42 eligible (21 men and 21 women) with a mean age of 45.7 ± 11.4 years (23 to 63 years) were supplemented with 4.8 gram lyophilized WBG powder in capsules daily for three months and were checked for MetS at enrollment and follow-up monthly. After supplementation was ceased, the participants were continually checked for MetS monthly over an additional three-month period. MetS incidence rate were analyzed using repeated-measures generalized linear mixed models according to the intention-to-treat principle.ResultsAfter adjusting for sex and age, the MetS incidence rate (standard error, p value) decreased by 7.1% (3.7%, 0.920), 9.5% (4.3%, 0.451), 19.0% (5.7%, 0.021), 16.7% (5.4%, 0.047), 11.9% (4.7%, 0.229) and 11.9% (4.7%, 0.229) at visit 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 compared to that at baseline (visit 1), respectively. The decrease in incidence rate was highest at the end of the three-month supplementation period and it was significantly different from that at baseline (p = 0.021). The difference remained significant at end of the 4th month (one month after the cessation of supplementation) (p = 0.047) but the effect diminished at the 5th and 6th months after baseline. The waist circumference also significantly decreased after the supplementation (p < 0.05). The WBG supplementation was generally well-tolerated.ConclusionThis is the first report to show that WBG improved MetS in human which provides a firm base for further randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy of WBG supplementation.

Cucurbitane Triterpenoid fromMomordica charantiaInduces Apoptosis and Autophagy in Breast Cancer Cells, in Part, through Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated ReceptorγActivation

“…Recent studies have demonstrated that wild bitter gourd extracts exhibited multiple pharmacological activities associated with anti-inflammation and antidiabetics, including those of suppressing inflammatory response in macrophages [7], overcoming insulin resistance in skeletal muscle in fructose-fed rats [8], enhancing insulin signaling in skeletal muscle in high-fat-diet-fed mice [9], and upregulating mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α , PPAR γ , and their target genes in mice [10]. Together, these activities might account for the ability of wild bitter gourd to improve metabolic syndrome in humans [11]. …”

Role of GLP-1 in the Hypoglycemic Effects of Wild Bitter Gourd

“…We previously reported that BG extracts can activate and upregulate the expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and identified 9c, 11t, 13t-conjugated linolenic acid as one of the active components [38, 39]. In a preliminary clinical study with 42 metabolic syndrome subjects, the incidence of metabolic syndrome and waist circumference was significantly decreased after a supplementation of 4.8 g/d of lyophilized wild bitter gourd powder (BGP) for 3 months [40]. …”

Treating Hyperinsulinemia with Momordica charantia

“…It increases sensitivity of the insulin receptor [17], reduces insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, with favourably influence on the metabolic syndrome [18] and diabetes [19] in humans. Obesity promotes prostate cancer [20] which has been related to hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance [2,[21][22][23].…”