[Effects of Banaba Leaf Extract] From Blood Sugar to Weight Control, 3 Benefits of Banaba Leaf

Hello, I am Jinny, a pharmacist.

Recently, as the number of diabetes patients in the 20s and 30s has increased, interest in ‘diabetes and blood sugar control’ seems to be increasing among all age groups. So today, I will introduce you to banaba leaf extract, an ingredient that can help control blood sugar.

Banaba is a tree native to Southeast Asia, and its leaves have long been used as a folk remedy to manage diabetes in Southeast Asia. In fact, banaba leaves contain a component called corosolic acid, which promotes the transport of glucose to cells, and is known to help control blood sugar.

Academic circles have also paid attention to the efficacy of banaba leaves and have conducted various studies, including studies on blood sugar levels. Let’s take a look at some of the research papers today.

Glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) promotes glucose transport into cells and lowers blood glucose concentration. Therefore, if the movement of GLUT4 to the cell membrane is inhibited, insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes may occur. Corosolic acid helps regulate blood sugar by activating GLUT4.

In fact, a paper published in the Journal of ethnopharmacology in 2003 showed that blood sugar levels were significantly reduced when banaba leaf extract was administered orally to patients with type 2 diabetes.

HDL cholesterol plays a role in preventing arteriosclerosis by transporting cholesterol accumulated in the walls of blood vessels to the liver, so unlike other cholesterol levels, the higher the better. On the other hand, neutral fat helps produce LDL cholesterol, which is bad for blood vessel health, and promotes the decomposition of HDL cholesterol, increasing the risk of arteriosclerosis.

According to a paper published in High Blood Pressure & Cardiovascular Prevention in 2017, when subjects with fasting blood sugar disorders consumed banaba leaf extract, triglycerides decreased and HDL cholesterol increased.

Corosolic acid helps with weight loss by stimulating the adiponectin hormone. This is because the hormone adiponectin inhibits fatty acid synthesis and gluconeogenesis in the liver and promotes glucose absorption and catabolism in muscles and liver. In other words, adiponectin plays a role in suppressing fat synthesis and increasing its use.

A paper published in 2006 reported that consuming banaba leaf extract resulted in weight loss and improved body mass index (BMI).

Today, we looked into the benefits that can be gained from consuming banaba leaf extract. Banaba leaf extract has the effect of lowering blood sugar, so if you are already taking medications that lower blood sugar, you should be careful as your blood sugar level may drop too much.

I hope you have a healthy day both physically and mentally. This was Jinny.