Purslane Extract Supports Blood Sugar Control, Study Suggests

Image provided by Frutarom Health.

A new study out of Israel suggests Portusana, a purslane herb (Portulaca oleracea L.) extract from Frutarom Health (Haifa, Israel), may offer blood-sugar benefits for adults with type 2 diabetes.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial included 63 adult subjects with type 2 diabetes who were randomized to receive either 180 mg/day of Portusana or a placebo for 12 weeks in the form of three oral capsules.

In addition to tracking participant blood pressure, lipid profile, and glucose control, researchers measured glucose homeostasis by measuring Hb1Ac levels, “a long-term marker for blood glucose control which depend on the blood glucose concentration and reflect the average glucose levels over the prior two to three months.”

At the conclusion of the study, systolic blood pressure declined significantly more in the Portusana group than the placebo group compared to baseline, researchers found. Additionally, in a subgroup of participants whose 12-week HbA1c levels were lower than baseline, HbA1c declined significantly more in the Portusana group than in the placebo group.

Researchers concluded, “[Purslane extract] appears to be a safe, adjunct treatment for [type 2 diabetes mellitus], significantly reducing systolic blood pressure in the total cohort and HbA1c in the subgroup of responders,” researchers concluded.

“In the light of the increasing concerns over the global rise of diabetes, this recent publication supports the findings that Frutarom’s purslane herb extract fits perfectly in a healthy diet for those needing to control and maintain healthy glucose levels,” says Rudy Simons, PhD, product manager for Frutarom Health BU. “It requires a very small dosage-180 mg per day-and has a very mild taste.”

Frutarom shared the study results just about a month after the World Health Organization (WHO) presented a troubling report on diabetes around the world for World Health Day 2016. While there were 108 million adult cases of diabetes globally in 1980 (4.7% of the global population), that statistic has since risen to 422 million adult cases as of 2014 (8.6% of the global population), with the WHO citing unbalanced diet as a primary reason for the increase.

“With regards to the staggering statistics on diabetes presented by the [WHO] on the World Health Day, Portusana’s study results are highly promising,” says Simons.

Study details

The 31 participants in the Portusana group had a mean age of 52.4 +/- 7.9, while the 31 participants in the placebo group had a mean age of 58.2 +/- 10.8.

Within the total cohort, systolic blood pressure declined by 7.5 +/- 5.0 in the experimental group, compared to just 0.01 +/- 0.3 in the placebo group. And within the subgroup of participants with lower HbA1c levels at the conclusion of the study than at baseline, HbA1c declined by 0.8% +/- 0.4% in the Portusana group, compared to -0.6% +/- 0.5%.

Frutarom notes that the new study results are in line with findings from a previous, open-application trial of Portusana's short-and long-term benefits to blood glucose control, as shown by its effect on HbA1c levels.

Read more:

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Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com

References:

Wainstein J et al., “Purslane extract and glucose homeostasis in adults with type 2 diabetes: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of efficacy and safety,” Journal of Medicinal Foods, vol. 19, no. 2 (February 2016): 133–140