Diabetics should introduce oregano and rosemary into their diet. The herbs are as effective as pharmaceuticals for controlling blood sugar levels, a new study has found.
The herbs interfere with an enzyme associated with diabetes that is also the target of pharmaceuticals, say researchers at the University of Illinois.
The research team tested four varieties of the herbs-from greenhouse-grown to dried commercial offerings-to see which would be the more effective in controlling type-2 diabetes.
Commercial extracts of Greek and Mexican oregano and rosemary were more effective in inhibiting the enzyme, even though the greenhouse varieties contained more polyphenols and flavonoids.
The findings are significant. Type-2 diabetes affects around 8 per cent of the population, and, in the USA alone, the annual drugs bill is around $175bn to control symptoms.
(Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2014; 62: 6147)
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