Can Maitake Help with Diabetes?

Can Maitake Help with Diabetes? AUTHOR CELIA LEUNG maitake medicinal mushrooms and diabetes A recent study conducted by Tianjin University of Science & Technology in China found that a maitake polysaccharide could help treat hyperglycemia by reducing insulin resistance. The most common chronic disease in the world is diabetes, with an estimated 285 million people affected with the condition. By 2030, it is projected that 4.4% of the population will have diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolic disease where the individual has high blood sugar, either due to low production of insulin in the pancreas or because cells develop a resistance to insulin produced. Over 90 per cent of individuals with diabetes fall under the Type 2 category, in which their high blood sugar is due to the cell’s insulin resistance. Maitake, also known as Grifola frondosa and sheep’s head mushroom, is a popular mushroom in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. It is believed to help improve the immune system, regulate blood pressure, glucose, insulin, and serum levels. Previous research has shown maitake extract to possess immunomodulatory qualities such as enhancing NK cell – or natural killer cell – response, antibody response, and macrophage and cytotoxic T cell activity. The Effect of Maitake on Insulin Resistance Tianjin 300x196 Can Maitake Help with Diabetes? Researchers in Tianjin, China, believe that maitake mushroom may help diabetics with insulin resistance For the experiment researchers Xiaolei Ma, Fuchuan Zhou, Yuanyuan Chen, Yuanyuan Zhang, Lihua Hou, Xiaohong Cao and Chunling Wang used insulin resistance model cells and human liver cancer cells due to their ability to metabolize glucose with normal liver cells. The cell cultures were treated with maitake polysaccharide extracts. After the treatment period, hypoglycemic activity was measured. Analyzing the data, the researchers found that the cells treated with maitake polysaccharides significantly increased the absorption of glucose in human liver cancer cells. This effect was dose-dependent. Based on these results Ma, et al., believe that concentrated extracts from maitake can be a beneficial form of treatment for those who are insulin resistant. Their study demonstrated that treatment with maitake polysaccharides was able to increase glucose metabolism and stimulate the production of glycogen. They suggest more research be conducted to better understand the therapeutic potential of maitake mushrooms. Please check with your doctor before taking any mushroom supplements. Do not discontinue or make changes to your medication without consulting with your physician first! The author of this story is a staff writer for National Nutraceuticals’ online news portals, such as Amino Acid Information Center at http://www.aminoacidinformation.com. Please go to this site to order Ganolife Gourmet Coffee enriched with Ganoderma, www.ganolifevo.com/wwammcafe.