Type 2 Diabetes – Treating Diabetes With a Flavonoid Called Kaempferol
Kaempferol is a molecule in the flavonoid class. Flavonoids, or bioflavonoids, are molecules found in plants and are known for their antioxidant activities. Kaempferol is responsible for the yellow color of acacia flowers. Researchers at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xian, China, and Virginia Technical University in Blacksburg, Virginia, looked at the effects of kaempferol on pancreatic cells.
Their study, published in the European Journal of Pharmacology in October 2011, was performed on pancreatic beta cells, the cells responsible for making insulin. In diabetes, when pancreatic cells are exposed to high levels of sugar for too long, they usually stop working and die. The cells were placed into solutions of sugar and when kaempferol was added, the cells were able to survive and continue to secrete insulin, despite the environment.
Seeing just how kaempferol functions in beta cells outside the human body is preliminary research. Further work could reveal how the molecule works on the actual pancreas functioning inside the human body.
Other health claims have been made for kaempferol, although the evidence from various studies has been contradictory. Possible benefits include:
protective effects against pancreatic and ovarian cancer,
prevention of heart attacks, and
many more.
More research is definitely needed to clarify whether those claims are valid, but kaempferol is found in many fruits and vegetables already known to provide a good supply of vitamins, minerals, and fiber:
the list of foods containing kaempferol includes: tea, broccoli, leek, onions, chives, horseradish, tarragon, Chinese cabbage, rutabagas, mustard, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage, kale, turnip greens, grapefruit, strawberries, squash, goji berries, watercress, pistachios, apples, radishes, peaches, blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, elderberries, potatoes, broadbeans, tomatoes, and spinach.
With so many fruits and vegetables to choose from, getting sufficient amount of kaempferol and various other flavonoids should be easy:
the website: recommends a recipe for stir-fry that contains Chinese cabbage or kale, broccoli, mushrooms, jicama, bamboo shoots, peanut oil, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine.
another website: offers instructions for making Brussels sprouts with apples, which also includes lemon juice, butter or margarine (substitute olive oil), onion, apple juice, garlic, sugar (substitute sucralose), water chestnuts, raisins, lemon rind, nutmeg, and ground pepper.
for dessert, try a fruit salad from including raspberries, strawberries, mango, peach, lemon juice, honey, and mint.
Wash it all down with lemonade made from a recipes on the website . The list of ingredients also includes grapefruit, strawberries, agave nectar, and ginger.
