Milk thistle may help diabetics

A herbal therapy that has been used for thousands of years may help to control blood sugar levels in people suffering from type 2 diabetes.

Milk thistle, a flowering herb, is a popular complementary therapy. It is also called silymarin, which is a mixture of the herb's active components, used to treat liver problems such as cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis and gallbladder problems.

Researchers in Iran have also found the remedy could benefit diabetes sufferers.

"We don't know the exact mechanism of action for this effect, but this work shows that silymarin could play an important role in treating type 2 diabetes," said Fallah Huseini, who works for the Institute of Medicinal Plants in Teheran.

Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to being overweight or obese, is an increasing health problem worldwide. Most of the 194 million people who suffer from it have type 2 diabetes, which is caused by an inability to regulate the glucose, or sugar in the body properly.

Huseini compared the effects of daily supplements of silymarin, which contains a number of active constituents called flavolignans which help protect the liver from poisoning, against a placebo in 51 diabetics. The findings are reported in the journal Phytotherapy Research.

Half the patients received 200 milligrams of silymarin three times a day for four months or the dummy pill along with conventional treatments. At the end of the study, people in the herbal group had reductions in blood glucose levels compared to their earlier levels.

"The results are very encouraging, and we now need to do further large multi-centre studies," Huseini added in a statement.

The charity Diabetes UK said some substances appear to have an effect on lowering blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes but they are not a cure and should not replace traditional therapies.

"Studies have shown that the best method of controlling glucose levels is through a combination of regular physical activity, a healthy diet and the relevant prescribed medication," a Diabetes UK spokesperson said.

"This study is very small and still in its early stages, therefore we would not recommend using milk thistle or any other supplement for people with diabetes."

Diabetes, which is a chronic illness, also increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney damage and nerve disorders that can lead to foot ulceration and amputations.

The World Health Organization expects the number of people suffering from diabetes to rise to 300 million by 2025.