Antidiabetic Effect of Amaranth
Antidiabetic
Effect of Amaranth
Muhammad Zahid Khawar
MS Human Nutrition and Dietetics,
Department of Human Nutrition, BZU, Multan
Abstract:
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is marked by high blood glucose level,
either due to lack of insulin secretion from pancreas or the disability of the
cells to use it effectively. Due to this, fat and protein metabolism is also
disturbed. About 33 million people of Pakistan are suffering from DM. Amaranth,
the pseudocereal with a lot of health benefits can play preventive and curative
role against diabetes such as enzymatic inhibition of α-glucosidase, α-amylase and DPP–IV along
with other medicinal strategies. During a study important water-soluble
vitamins [vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B9] present in different plant parts were
extracted and estimated through RP-HPLC for validating the claim of their
functional food properties. The antioxidant-based functional food property of
different plant parts of Amaranthus spinosus were corroborated
from the data of in vitro free radical scavenging,
metal-chelating, reducing, superoxide radical scavenging, hydroxyl radical
scavenging, anti-protein coagulation, anti-lipid peroxidation and antidiabetic
properties. Protein contents of snacks
prepared by amaranth provided up to 25% of daily protein requirements for
adult. From a
nutritional perspective, it is recognized for its complete protein, phenolic
compounds and flavonoids, prebiotic fibers, and essential micronutrients,
including minerals and vitamins. Bioactive peptides from amaranth proteins have
shown antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anticancer properties.
Its nutritional diversity makes it a preferred choice for sustainable food
products such as plant-based dairy, vegan meats, and gluten-free products. This
study emphasis the health benefits of amaranth and discusses the recent research
progress in understanding its application in new sustainable food categories. However,
there is still a significant need to include such healthy grains to fulfill the
nutritional gap.
Key words: Diabetes,
amaranth, antidiabetic diets, pseudocereal, gluten free.
Comments
Post a Comment