536.6 million is the number of people in the world, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), were found to have diabetes in 2021. The same data revealed that deaths attributable to diabetes in the same year among subjects aged 20 to 79 were 6.7 million, 32.6% of the total subjects under 60. Diabetes is also responsible for about 60% of non-traumatic leg amputations, which is necessary in 85% of cases of infectious ulcerative events of the foot (so-called diabetic foot).
These statistics will become progressively worse: according to experts, the number of adults with diabetes will increase to a share of over 642 million in 2030 and 783 million in 2045.
These alarming data underline the importance of receiving adequate care for patients suffering from this condition, but above all, the need to take preventive measures to prevent the disease from developing.
There is a condition that represents a potential alarm of the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus in which timely intervention in terms of prevention becomes fundamental: prediabetes.
Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels (blood sugar) are higher than usual but not high enough to lead to a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. More specifically, it is a stage of an anomaly of glucose homeostasis characterized by impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), or both. In the first case, it is a situation in which the patient has high blood glucose levels in the fasting state. But when is blood sugar considered high? Doctors consider the condition of average blood glucose in the presence of blood glucose values equal to or less than 99 mg/dl. In prediabetes conditions, the values are between 100 and 125 mg/dl, while above 126 mg/dl, we speak of diabetes.
It is in the presence of impaired glucose tolerance when the blood glucose dosage after two hours from the intake of glucose (75 gr) is equal to values between 140 and 199 mg/dl.
Recognizing and intervening in prediabetes can be difficult because, generally, the disease does not present symptoms. However, it is crucial because, according to experts, one in three people suffering from this condition develops type 2 diabetes and several other cardiovascular diseases.
The consequences of high blood sugar, if carried up to the progression of the actual disease, are numerous, some potentially life-threatening. For example, increased blood sugar can damage small and large blood vessels and nerves. In addition, patients may be subjected to constant fatigue; increased thirst and frequent urination even at night; risk of heart attack and stroke; worsening of kidney function; decreased vision to blindness; sensitivity disorders of hands and feet; increased susceptibility to infections and fungal diseases; and finally, conditions of potency and libido.
High blood sugar causes can lead to the disease’s development, and the problems mentioned earlier can be different. Type 2 diabetes can develop over the years, and most people with it have a family history. However, the condition of being overweight, improper nutrition, and poor physical activity are causes that contribute to the increase in blood glucose levels.
That is why for many types 2 diabetics at the initial stage of the disease, a lifestyle adjustment is enough even to avoid or at least reduce the administration of drugs or insulin. Instead, the aim is to improve cells’ ability to absorb glucose, which is possible through correcting nutrition, losing weight where necessary, practicing physical activity, self-control of blood sugar, and quitting smoking.
However, often, in a prediabetes phase, patients may need support in reversing the progression of the disease: this help can be represented by a nutraceutical product.
The increase in diabetic patients worldwide has led to significant global growth in the market for drugs and therapies targeting diabetes and prediabetes. This has generated many opportunities for all products that can provide real benefits in maintaining healthy blood glucose levels. This is the case of Reglicem®: an innovative nutraceutical product developed by Biofarma Group, able to reduce IFG (fasting blood glucose) and IGT (fast glucose tolerance) values in patients with prediabetes conditions. These effects are made possible thanks to the action of turmeric (Curcuma longa), barberry (Berberis vulgaris), banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa), inositol, and chromium, whose effectiveness is proven and supported by scientific evidence.
It has been proven that curcumin extract, the main constituent of Curcuma longa, can delay the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, improve the functions of B cells, prevent their death, and reduce insulin resistance.
The barberry plant, particularly the extract of berberine derived from it, showed a positive effect on glucose regulation in the blood, which the activation of carbohydrate metabolism enzymes could cause.
Numerous studies have also observed that the banaba plant has beneficial properties for several factors involved in the regulation of glucose and its metabolism, including the increase in cellular glucose absorption, the improvement of insulin sensitivity, the decrease in gluconeogenesis, and the inhibition of intestinal hydrolysis of sucrose, thus lowering blood glucose levels.
Inositol supplementation was associated with a significant reduction in glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels, increased insulin sensitivity, and reduced blood pressure and blood lipid levels.
Finally, chromium was included because considerable scientific evidence has associated a deficiency with a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes and found an ability of the component to restore the balance of sugar in the blood of diabetic subjects.
The strength of these five active components forms a nutraceutical product whose efficacy has been confirmed by a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial and published in the scientific journal “Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity,” dedicated to the most recent clinical and laboratory discoveries, that lead to establishing new paradigms in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of diabetes.
Through the trial, the effects of the product were investigated on a sample composed of 148 patients with impaired fasting blood glucose or impaired glucose tolerance, who were required to take one tablet a day (during breakfast) for three months.
The results showed that the combined action of the five substances has a synergistic effect on the mechanisms of action of insulin at the receptor level, improving insulin sensitivity and facilitating glucose absorption, both fasting and in the postprandial phase, with consequent improvement of parameters related to blood glucose, such as hemoglobin, insulin resistance, and even cholesterol.
Using these substances can significantly reduce blood glucose in prediabetic subjects with IFG and IGT and on glycolipid metabolism by exploiting different mechanisms of action in a single administration: not only does regression occur, but a significant percentage of subjects return to average glucose values, leaving the risk area.
Importantly, to date, no drug has been specifically approved for use in prediabetes and/or in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, due to the characteristics of this condition, the recommended drug therapy involves taking it for life. For this reason, we are looking for models of approach as natural as possible, which represent a valid alternative, and Reglicem® is one of these: a once-a-day single-ply tablet that could be an appropriate aid for all people at risk of diabetes.
Edited by:
Arianna Vanelli: R&D Manager
Stefania Murzilli: Scientific Specialist
Ascensia Diabetes Care Switzerland “Type 2 diabetes What’s going on in my body?”
Derosa G., D’Angelo A., Vanelli A., Maffioli P., “An Evaluation of a Nutraceutical with Berberine, Curcumin, Inositol, Banaba and Chromium, Picolinate in Patients with Fasting Dysglycemia” Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy 2020
Chuengsamarn et al, “Curcumin Extract for Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes. ”, Diabetes Care. 2012 Nov; 35(11): 2121–2127.
Yifei Zhang et al. “Treatment of type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia with the natural plant alkaloid berberine. ” J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Jul; 93(7): 2559–2565.
Nasikkar, S. et al., “Protective effect of Lagerstroemia speciosa leaves extract against streptozotocin-induced diabetic neuropathy in experimental rats.” International Journal of Applied Research 2016; 2(12): 329-337.
G. Artini et al., “Endocrine and clinical effects of myo-inositol administration in polycystic ovary syndrome. A randomized study. ” Gynecol Endocrinol. 2013 Apr; 29(4): 375–379.
Rabinovitz H et al., “Effect of chromium supplementation on blood glucose and lipid levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus elderly patients. ” Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2004, Vol 74: pp. 178–182
