Effects of Moringa oleifera on Glycaemia and Insulin Levels: A Review of Animal and Human Studies

Abstract

Diabetes and related neurological complications are serious worldwide public health problems. The increasing number of affected individuals make it necessary to implement novel nutritional and therapeutic interventions. The tree Moringa oleifera (MO) has been used as a food source and for traditional medicine purposes due to possible antihyperglycemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and lipid regulating properties. These properties may be explained by the presence of numerous phytochemicals in the leaves, fruits, roots and, oil of the tree. The evidence for acute antihyperglycemic effects of MO extract on diabetic animal models seems to be robust, but more chronic and long-term studies are needed. In contrast, the hypoglycemic effects of MO on humans are not as clear. The scarce number of human studies, together with a diverse range of methodologies and MO doses, may explain this. In addition, evidence regarding changes in insulin levels due to MO intervention is ambiguous, both in animal and human studies. Therefore, more structured studies are needed to clarify if MO has an effect on insulin levels or activity.

Impacts of Moringa oleifera Foliage Substituted for Concentrate Feed on Growth, Nutrient Digestibility, Hematological Attributes, and Blood Minerals of Growing Goats under Abu Dhabi Conditions

“…Similar results were reported in lactating goats that fed fresh MF [17]. On the other hand, several reports confirmed the hypoglycemic effect of M. oleifera [29][30][31]. Our findings partially agreed with Meel et al, [32] who reported that replacing the concentrate feed with the of leaves M. oleifera in Sirohi goat kids increased hemoglobin, RBC, PCV, serum total protein, globulin, and albumin level while serum glucose level decreased.…”

Evaluation of Diclofenac (DCF) Potassium as a Possible Predisposer of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Wistar Albino Rats

“…An increased in WBC counts can occur aberrantly as a result of an infection, cancer, or prescence of xenobiotics [10]. The decrease in RBC, Hb and increase in WBC by DCF-Potassium was previously reported [11]. The decrease in blood parameters caused by this drug may be attributed to its harmful effects on bone marrow and haematopoietic organs [12,13].…”

Effects of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract on Diabetes-Induced Alterations in Paraoxonase 1 and Catalase in Rats Analyzed through Progress Kinetic and Blind Docking

“…Optimized nutrition through supplementing one´s diet with plant derived phytochemicals has attracted significant attention in preventing the onset of many chronic diseases and metabolic abnormalities, such as dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hypertension, glucose intolerance, systemic inflammation, and oxidative stress [ 64 ]. Experimental studies demonstrate that Moringa oleifera leaf extracts, which are rich in polyphenols, delay the onset of diabetes [ 30 , 65 ]. Although various in vitro/in vivo studies demonstrate the beneficial effects of M. oleifera phytochemicals in reducing the risk of chronic diseases, significantly more metabolic evidence is required to define a particular target(s) where the phytochemicals act as a modulator (inhibitor or activator) of diverse cellular pathways or specific enzymes.…”