Can Licorice root change your blood sugar?

Most know it only as the main component of licorice. Now researchers have found that the licorice root may be effective against adult-onset diabetes.

Since ancient times, licorice root in traditional medicine is estimated. Especially with gastric and respiratory diseases it is used. Researchers have now discovered that liquorice also contains substances that can help against diabetes.The scientists have identified in the edible root of the plant substances that may cause your blood sugar: the Amorfrutin.

The team could prove the antidiabetic effect of Amorfrutin in animal experiments. But the materials are not only hypoglycemic, but also anti-inflammatory and are very well tolerated. Therefore, they may be employed for controlling complex metabolic diseases. Bend even a fatty liver before, a frequent disease in which there is a result of too-fat diet or alcohol abuse to a usually reversible storage of fat in the liver cells. Sometimes you can use the licorice root as a preventive measure against various diseases.

Licorice tea has to low concentrations.

The effect of the licorice root is based on that amorfrutin molecules dock to a receptor, called PPAR. PPAR plays an important role in fat and glucose metabolism of the cell. The binding of the molecules to the receptor amorfrutin genes are activated, which lower the plasma concentration of various fatty acids and glucose level. The reduced glucose levels leads to insulin resistance and thus to the development of diabetes mellitus type 2 is again prevented.

It’s worth nothing to drink with diabetes licorice tea or eating liquorice. In tea licorice in the Amorfrutins are in a much too low concentration. In order to gain a sufficient concentration of the substances, the researchers have developed a special extraction process. Before the Amorfrutin produced industrially can be used as functional food supplements, they must be previously tested in clinical trials. If prove that substances in humans as effective and well tolerated, they may possibly be made available soon for various applications.