A new natural formula to fight diabetes was developed by a group of Mexican researchers. This cocktail is based on various beverages that use combinations of plants such as cacti, in addition to seeds, vegetables and cereals.The drink developed by scientists at the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition, in Mexico, promises to help patients suffering from diabetes and related diseases, such as metabolic syndrome and dyslipidemia.

“We started to develop this concept, which is the combination of two or more foods developed to correct the biochemical abnormalities of a specific disease”, said Nimbe Torres y Torres, one of the scientists dedicated to biochemical research.

The combination of juices that should be taken twice a day comes prepared in envelopes. The research was tested on animals and, therefore, tests were carried out on patients continuously. In this way, the benefits could be observed more precisely.

“We saw that in the patients, the combination lowered the concentrations of glucose, triglycerides, glycated hemoglobin and increased their antioxidant activity,” said Torres. As much as patients already use medications, they can include this food in the diet so that it becomes an aid to reduce the need to ingest the medications currently administered.

Diabetes

In 2012, a national health and nutrition survey was carried out in Mexico, which revealed that 6.4 million people in the country had diabetes. The disease even represents the second cause of death in the country.

It is a metabolic syndrome of multiple origin that is caused by the lack of insulin, or by the inability of insulin to adequately exert its effects. This causes an increase in glucose – sugar – in the blood.

Insulin is the substance that promotes blood glucose reduction, as it allows the sugar present in the blood to be absorbed by cells and used as an energy source. When there is a lack of this hormone, or if its action fails, therefore, the body will suffer an increase in blood glucose and, consequently, diabetes will arise.

There are several types of diabetes, which can be caused by diseases, genetic defects, defects induced by the use of drugs or chemicals, such as diuretics, corticosteroids, contraceptives, among others, or even, in the case of gestational diabetes, it is not known the exact cause.