Background and Objectives: Findings of several studies on animals have shown the beneficial effect of garlic on the blood glucose level. However, there have been few studies conducted on humans. Thus, this study was performed to determine the effects of garlic consumption with breakfast on the blood glucose and insulin responses in type 2 diabetic patients recruited from the Iranian Diabetes Society, Tehran..
Materials and Methods: This clinical trial was performed, 2 days per week with a 1-week interval, on 24 type 2 diabetic patients (13 men and 11 women, with a mean age of 49.4±7.4 years and a mean disease duration of 6.9 ±5.05 years) with a fasting blood glucose concentration ranging between 126 to and180 mg/dl. Each day the patients received one of the test breakfasts, namely, regular breakfast (containing bread, cheese, yogurt and cucumber) and garlic breakfast (regular breakfast plus 20 grams garlic). Blood glucose and insulin were measured by glucose oxidase and RIA (Radio Immuno Assay) methods, respectively, on a 2-ml blood sample taken at time zero (fasting) and 60, 120 and 180 minutes after ingestion of the breakfasts. The results were compared using ANOVA with repeated measures, and a P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: As compared to the regular breakfast, the garlic breakfast caused a significant reduction in the glucose level (P<0.05) and a significant increase in the insulin level (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Taking garlic with breakfast reduces postprandial glucose response and increases insulin response significantly in type 2 diabetic subjects. Therefore, it seems that inclusion of garlic in the daily diet may have beneficial effects on glycemic control in type 2 diabetic subjects. Further long-term studies are needed to throw more light on the subject.
Zamani nour N, Tahbaz F, Taleban F, Alavi Majd H, Neyestani T. Effects of garlic ingestion with breakfast on postprandial serum glucose and insulin in type 2 diabetic patients. Iranian J Nutr Sci Food Technol 2007; 1 (3) :39-44 URL: http://nsft.sbmu.ac.ir/article-1-26-en.html