Experts cast doubts on efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines in preventing diabetes.Byline: ANIWashington, Oct 7 (ANI): Although Chinese herbal medicines Chinese herbal medicine see herbal medicine. has been found effective in preventing type 2 diabetes type 2 diabetes n. See diabetes mellitus. , experts say more research is required to recommend their use. Scientists have cast doubts on the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines in preventing type 2 diabetes in high-risk patients. In China, Korea and Japan herbal pills, teas and powders have been used for a long time to treat pre-diabetes and diabetes. But the researchers say that there is lack of hard scientific evidence to confidently recommend their use. "People with impaired glucose tolerance Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) is a pre-diabetic state of dysglycemia, that is associated with insulin resistance and increased risk of cardiovascular pathology. IGT may precede type 2 diabetes mellitus by many years. IGT is also a risk factor for mortality. are more likely to develop full blown diabetes and it may be possible to prevent or delay the onset of the disease through lifestyle changes and medication," said lead researcher, Suzanne Grant of the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney History In 1987 the New South Wales Labor government decided to name the planned new university in Sydney's western suburbs Chifley University. When, in 1989, a new Liberal government renamed it the University of Western Sydney, controversy broke out. in Australia. "Chinese herbal medicines have been used for this purpose for a long time, so there is plenty of anecdotal evidence anecdotal evidence, n information obtained from personal accounts, examples, and observations. Usually not considered scientifically valid but may indicate areas for further investigation and research. for their safety and effectiveness, but we were interested to find out whether scientific research could provide a basis for recommending these alternative treatments," she added. During the study, Cochrane research team analysed 16 clinical trials including 1,391 people who received 15 different herbal formulations. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. their findings, combining herbal medicines with lifestyle changes is twice as effective as lifestyle changes alone at normalising patients' blood sugar levels. Those given the herbal formulations were less likely to develop full blown diabetes during the study period. Trials included in the review lasted from one month to two years. No adverse effects were reported in any of the trials. "Our results suggest that some Chinese herbal medicines can help to prevent diabetes, but we really need more research before we can confidently say that these treatments work," said Grant. "The real value of the study is as guidance for further trials. We need to see more trials that make comparisons with placebos and other types of drugs, and better reporting on the outcomes of these trials," she added. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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