Health Benefits of Mulberry Leaf Extract
Mulberry is a well- known medicinal plant has nutrients and compounds which are favorable for health. The extract from leaves of this plant is now being made available commercially as functional foods since it has proven to show beneficial effect on blood sugar management, body weight and heart health (1)
Mulberry Leaf Extract (MLE) helps manage blood sugar levels and thus may help manage the risk of diabetes. Its active compound 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) slows down the breakdown of carbohydrate from the food we eat, into simple sugars which help reduce post meal blood sugar levels. (2) As a result, MLE also helps to reduce post-meal insulin spike. Lower post meal sugar and lower insulin spike in response to foods is associated with reduced diabetes risk and progression. (3)
Preclinical studies have also shown that MLE has anti- obesity effect (1). This may help manage weight, one of the major goals for diabetes management.
People having uncontrolled diabetes are at an increased risk for heart disease (4). Mulberry leaves have shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Additionally, it also helps to reduce triglyceride (fats in blood) levels and manage blood pressure. MLE contains phenolic and flavonoid compounds which make it a great antioxidant. Therefore, it may help to reduce the risk of heart disease and may play a beneficial role in management of complications associated with diabetes (1)
Including mulberry leaf extract with the daily meals looks promising in keeping diabetes and its complications at bay.
Infographic 1
Reference
The information on MLE is sourced from the following scientific journals
1. Thaipitakwong, T., Numhom, S., & Aramwit, P. (2018). Mulberry leaves and their potential effects against cardiometabolic risks: a review of chemical compositions, biological properties and clinical efficacy. Pharmaceutical biology, 56(1), 109– 118. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880209.2018.1424210
2. Wang, R., Li, Y., Mu, W., Li, Z., Sun, J., Wang, B., Zhong, Z., Luo, X., Xie, C.,
& Huang, Y. (2018). Mulberry leaf extract reduces the glycemic indexes of four
common dietary carbohydrates. Medicine, 97(34), e11996.
https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000011996
3. Mela, D. J., Cao, X. Z., Dobriyal, R., Fowler, M. I., Lin, L., Joshi, M., Mulder, T., Murray, P. G., Peters, H., Vermeer, M. A., & Zhang, Z. (2020). The effect of 8 plant extracts and combinations on post-prandial blood glucose and insulin responses in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition & metabolism, 17, 51. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-020-00471-x
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes-and-heart.html.Accessed on 1st February 2022