Comparing the Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Diosgenin and Formononetin) and Low-Carbohydrate Diets on Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Type 2 diabetes is a worldwide health issue. It’s especially prevalent in China, where swift lifestyle changes have increased the disease’s prevalence. Extensive evidence also supports their use for improvement of glycemic control (lowered targeted HbA1c plus reduction of fasting blood glucose levels), such as by low-carbohydrate diets and other conventional approaches. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) provides an alternative approach with agents like Diosgenin and Formononetin. Various compounds of the aforementioned medicinal plants are found to mediate insulin sensitivity, ameliorate oxidative stress, and normalize glycolipid metabolism. Higher TGF-β serum levels are associated with greater responsiveness to exercise and diet-induced weight loss in young T2D patients, and TGF-β blockade studies suggest the potential for modification of early glycemic control in young T2D patients by moderate changes in lifestyle. The progressive and multi-target characteristics of TCM treatment address the metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms that underlie type 2 diabetes, while the low-carb diet rapidly reduces blood glucose. Both are promising approaches, and further exploration is needed to understand how they may complement each other in delivering the optimal long-term care for T2D.
Source: Theoretical and Natural Science
Author: Shengtong Shao
Institution: New York University
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4411457097