Lee Swanson Research Update

Milk Thistle's Silymarin Proves Beneficial for Type II Diabetes

February 2007

Silymarin, the powerful antioxidant bioflavonoid found in the herb milk thistle, appears to be very helpful for type II diabetic patients, according to a study published in a recent issue of the journal Phytotherapy Research.

In fact, scientists said: "silymarin treatment in type II diabetic patients for four months has a beneficial effect on improving the glycemic profile."

Researchers in Tehran, Iran conducted the study noting that oxidative stresses are increasingly being implicated as causes of diabetic complications, which may either cause direct pancreatic cell damage or lead to “metabolic abnormalities that can induce or aggravate diabetes.”

Researchers continued: "The valuable effect of antioxidant nutrients on the glycemic control of diabetic patients has been reported in experimental and clinical studies. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of the herbal medicine, Silybum marianum seed extract (silymarin), which is known to have antioxidant properties, on the glycemic profile in diabetic patients."

A four-month randomized, double-blind clinical trial was conducted in 51 type II diabetic patients in two groups. The first group of 25 subjects received a silymarin tablet (200 mg) three times a day, plus conventional therapy. The second group of 26 subjects received the same conventional therapy, but a placebo instead of silymarin. The patients were visited monthly and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBS), insulin, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL, triglyceride, and SOGT and SGPT levels (enzymes that are released by the liver when the liver or heart is damaged) were determined at the beginning and the end of the study.

Scientists found significant decreases in HbA1c, BFS, total cholesterol, LDL, triglyceride, SGOT and SGPT levels in silymarin-treated patients compared with placebo.

Phytotherapy Research 20(12):1036-1039, 2006

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