Moringa oleifera Leaf Supplementation as a Glycemic Control Strategy in Subjects with Prediabetes

Sonia Gómez-Martínez, Ligia E Díaz-Prieto, Iván Vicente Castro, César Jurado, Nerea Iturmendi, Maria Carmen Martín-Ridaura, Nuria Calle, María Dueñas, María J Picón, Ascensión Marcos, Esther Nova, Sonia Gómez-Martínez, Ligia E Díaz-Prieto, Iván Vicente Castro, César Jurado, Nerea Iturmendi, Maria Carmen Martín-Ridaura, Nuria Calle, María Dueñas, María J Picón, Ascensión Marcos, Esther Nova

Abstract

Moringa oleifera (MO) is a multipurpose plant with a high polyphenol content, which is being increasingly consumed to lessen the risk of chronic metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes; however, scientific evidence from clinical trials is scarce. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group intervention study with MO leaves as a food supplement was conducted in subjects with prediabetes. They consumed six daily capsules of MO dry leaf powder (2400 mg/day) (MO, n = 31) or placebo (PLC, n = 34) over 12 weeks. Glycemia, appetite-controlling hormones and gut microbiota composition were studied. ANCOVA with the fixed factor "treatment" and the basal value as covariate was used to compare the change score between the groups. The results showed significant differences between groups in the rate of change of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), which showed opposite directions during the intervention, decreasing in MO and increasing in PLC. No different change scores were found between the groups in microbiota, hepatic and renal function markers or the appetite-controlling hormones measured. In conclusion, MO supplementation resulted in favorable changes in glycaemia markers compared to placebo in the subjects with prediabetes studied, suggesting that MO might act as a natural antihyperglycemic agent.

Keywords: Moringa oleifera; food supplement; gastrointestinal hormones; glycemic control; gut microbiota; polyphenol-rich plant food; prediabetes.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of study subjects. PLC, Placebo; MO, Moringa oleifera; wk, weeks.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Potential predictor variables between subjects improving and not improving HbA1c during the intervention in the MO group. Bacteroides, ANCOVA with BMI adjustment, p = 0.085; GOT, GPT and Bilirubin, Mann Whitney U test, p = 0.032 p = 0.022 and p = 0.014, respectively. No differences were found in basal values in the PLC group in those variables.

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