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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Aloe Vera Juice and Type 2 Diabetes Connenction?

There seems to be some evidence that drinking Aloe Vera juice might be beneficial for Type 2 diabetics. There is also proof that it helps lower Triglycerides, which traditionally run high in my earthly gene pool. I will cut and paste some limited information in that regard. In the interim I purchased a gallon of "Fruit Of The Earth" Aloe Vera juice from Walmart. The price was around $7 and I have started taking around 4 to 6 ounces of it before bedtime, usually mixed with a little cranberry juice.

It claims to be all natural and 99.8% pure aloe. Side effects of Aloe Vera juice appear to be zero and I used to drink it regularly years ago. At that time, I was purchasing it from Herbal Life. The older I get, I realize every manufacturer of just about everything has a long list of reasons as to why their product is  number one on the planet. After being ripped off several times, I am not as advertising conscious as I used to be. I still read labels however and this particular brand for the price and availability will suffice for 30 to 60 days for me to determine if it made any measurable changes in my own blood glucose.

Excerpt from a website article:


Aloe Vera and Diabetes

It's not just for your skin!


Everyone knows how good it feels to put aloe vera on a sunburn. The healing link between aloe vera and diabetes is a little less known. Interestingly, preliminary research points towards the use of the plant to lower or improve blood glucose levels. Intriguing. Let's take a closer look.
Aloe vera gel contains 75 different nutrients and over 200 active compounds. There are at least 500 different studies touting aloe veras health benefits to humans. Aloe vera is just one of over 400 species of the aloe type of plant. Early references to aloe vera can be found in both ancient Egypt and the bible.
Aloe Vera Plant and Diabetes Well Being While no one region can claim native aloe vera, it most likely originated in Northern Africa. The plant is now widely grown all over the world.
For centuries, people have been using the gel found in the plant to treat burns, scapes and minor cuts. Aloe vera juice is also widely touted as a soothing treatment for digestive problems such as heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome and as a laxative. Lately, other health benefits have been emerging.

Aloe Vera and Diabetes Link

The aloe vera and diabetes link can probably first be traced to the Arabian Peninsula where the plant has been used as a traditional remedy for diabetes.
More recently, at least two human studies and multiple rat studies have found a positive effect of aloe vera juice in improving fasting blood glucose.
The first study was conducted by Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. Thirty six human type 2 diabetics were treated with 2 tablespoons of 80% aloe vera juice. There was also a control group of 36 patients, who did not receive the treatment. All 72 patients had similar blood glucose levels at the begininng of the study.
By the end of week two of the study, the aloe vera consuming group had lowered their fasting blood glucose by 17 percent. By the end of six weeks, this group had lowered their fasting blood glucose 57 percent (43 percent of the starting value). WoW!
But that is not all! Blood triglycerides were lowered to 45 percent of initial value at the end of the six week study period.
A second study was also conducted by the same research team at Mahidol Univeristy. The results were similarly stunning. This time 76 type 2 diabetics participated in the study. At the end of six weeks, FBG was lowered by 49 percent and triglycerides were lowered by 52 percent.
A third study with over 3,000 diabetics showed amazing potential. After two months of consuming an aloe vera and psyllium husk found that 94 percent of the diabetic participants had their blood glucose levels return to normal. This last study is very impressive, but it should be noted that the methodology, etc., of the study were flawed.
Also, NO adverse affects were reported in any of these trials.
The first two studies above, and to a lesser extent the third, show that there is some impressive research regarding the positive effects of aloe vera.
The National Institute of Health is quick to point out that further studies are needed to definitively determine aloe vera's affect on blood glucose levels. Nonetheless, the initial reports are very promising. The results are so promising that the Americans with Diabetes Association called Aloe Vera one of the "seven most promising supplements."
All in all, the future is looking bright for Aloe Vera and diabetes!

For $7 a gallon, with NO apparent in your face side effects, along with other health benefits, I am going to try it for 60 days.

Dan

LINK to Type 2 Diabetes and Aloe Vera Juice:

"My people perish for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6


“Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost . . . therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

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