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VOLUME 14 NUMBER 2 • DECEMBER 2017
DIABETES NEWS
SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE
Rooibos could reduce risk of ‘type 3’ diabetes: a precursor to
Alzheimer’s disease
R
esearchers at Warren Alpert Medical
School at Brown University in the US
found a link between a relatively new form
of diabetes, known as ‘type 3’ diabetes and
Alzheimer’s disease.
As with all types of dementia, Alzheimer’s
is caused by a combination of genetic,
lifestyle and environmental factors that
affect the health of the brain over a period
of time, but now scientists have discovered a
strong connection between the disease and
insulin resistance in the brain; also referred
to as type 3 diabetes.
Prof Christo Muller, chief specialist
scientist at the SA Medical Research
Council (SAMRC) describes Alzheimer’s as
a neurodegenerative disease in the aged,
which involves the progressive loss of nerve
cells and connections. ‘Type 1 and 2 diabetes
are typically characterised by hyperglycaemia
(high blood sugar) whereas type 3 diabetes
is a more complex disease that has its origin
in the central nervous system.
‘Many type 2 diabetes patients have
deposits of a protein called beta-amyloid
in their pancreas, which is similar to the
protein deposits found in the brain tissue
of Alzheimer’s sufferers. According to
research published in the World Journal
of Diabetes, this increases type 2 diabetes
patients’ risk of Alzheimer’s disease by
between 50 and 65%,” remarks Muller.
Current research suggests that rooibos
has the potential to delay or prevent the
onset and progression of type 2 diabetes,
however its effect on the associated risk of
type 3 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease still
needs to be elucidated.
Muller says phenolic compounds present
in rooibos enhances the body’s antioxidant
defences, helping to fight a variety of
oxidative stress-induced conditions. ‘The
brain is one of the organs most sensitive
to oxidative stress, and long-term exposure
to increased levels of free radicals causes
damage to neural cells. Dietary anti-
oxidants, such as those found in rooibos,
could therefore protect vulnerable neurons
against the impact of oxidative by-products.
‘Rooibos tea is a rich source of dietary
anti-oxidants, including flavonoids, such as
dihydrochalcone glucoside, aspalathin and
nothofagin. Aspalathin, in particular, helps
to modify hormones in the body and reduces
the output of adrenal hormones specifically,
thus reducing stress and helping to inhibit
metabolic disorders.
‘Aspalathin also helps to regulate
blood sugar and therefore can play a role
in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and
excessive fat production. Our research at the
SAMRC found that an aspalathin-enriched
extract of green rooibos was particularly
effective at lowering raised blood glucose
levels in diabetic rats. Aspalathin is a unique
phenolic compound (a chemical produced by
the plant to help protect itself from negative
environmental factors) limited to the genus
Aspalathus, which has demonstrated a
significant contribution to the biological
benefits of rooibos,’ he says.
Studies conducted on the anti-diabetic
properties of rooibos by the SAMRC and
the Agricultural Research Council (ARC),
including thosedone inoverseas laboratories,
span more than 10 years of intensive work.
In a more recent study conducted by Prof
Muller and his team of researchers from
SAMRC, rooibos extract achieved significant
glucose- and cholesterol-lowering results in
diabetic primates, which has been described
as a breakthrough discovery. Human trials
have been earmarked for 2018.
‘Rooibos, in conjunction with a healthy
lifestyle is certain to benefit everyone,’
concludes Prof Muller.
Currently, an estimated one in 14 South
Africans between the ages of 21 and 79
years suffers from diabetes. Alzheimer’s is
reported to affect 750 000 South Africans.
For more info about how rooibos can benefit
you, visit
www.sarooibos.co.za