Effect of supplementation of Coccinia cordifolia extract on newly detected diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE Coccinia indica (synonym Coccinia cordifolia), an herb growing abundantly in India, has been used in traditional treatment of diabetes. However, carefully controlled studies of its efficacy are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Coccinia cordifolia on blood glucose levels of incident type 2 diabetic patients requiring only dietary or lifestyle modifications. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Sixty incident type 2 diabetic subjects (aged 35-60 years) were recruited from St. Johns Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, India. The subjects were randomly assigned into the placebo or experimental group and were provided with 1 g alcoholic extract of the herb for 90 days. Anthropometric, biochemical, dietary, and physical activity assessment were carried out at baseline and were repeated at days 45 and 90 of the study. All subjects were provided with standard dietary and physical activity advice for blood sugar control. RESULTS There was a significant decrease in the fasting, postprandial blood glucose and A1C of the experimental group compared with that of the placebo group. The fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels of the experimental group at day 90 significantly decreased, by 16 and 18%, respectively. There were no significant changes observed in the serum lipid levels. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that Coccinia cordifolia extract has a potential hypoglycemic action in patients with mild diabetes. However, further studies are needed to elucidate mechanisms of action.