One
study in diabetic rats also showed that intermittent fasting protected against kidney damage, one of the most severe complications of diabetes (13).
Yet more research found that cumin extract reduced total cholesterol, triglycerides, and pancreatic inflammatory
markers in diabetic rats.
According to one
study in diabetic rats, avocado oil can protect against the harmful effects of free radicals by entering the mitochondria (26).
Recently the European Journal of Pharmacology published research that discovered curcumin naturally activates the opioid
system in diabetic rats.
The most promising chemical — sulforaphane, a naturally occurring compound found in cruciferous vegetables — tamped down glucose production by liver cells growing in culture, and shifted liver gene expression away from a diseased
state in diabetic rats.
Zambidis says there are plans to conduct additional experiments of their
cells in diabetic rats, whose conditions more closely resemble human vascular damage to the retina than the mouse model used for the current study, he says.
In diabetic rat models, female mesenteric arteries show greater abnormal vascular responses demonstrated by greater impairment of acetycholin - induced relaxation and an increased expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase.
One study found that vitamin K2 supplementation was capable of preventing
hyperglycemia in diabetic rats.5 Human studies of vitamin K demonstrate that both K1 and K2 are effective in reducing the effects of type II diabetes.
This paper, Effect of hypothalamic - pituitary - adrenal axis alterations on glucose and lipid
metabolism in diabetic rats, reports that astragalus may improve HPA axis functioning and aid in the treatment of diabetes by lowering blood sugar and high levels of corticosterone (the rat version of cortisol).
High - dose biotin has shown therapeutic
activity in diabetic rats and in limited clinical experience; increased expression of glucokinase in hepatocytes may mediate this benefit.
Tang, Y., Yang, Q., Lu, J., Zhang, X., Suen, D., Tan, Y., Jin, L., Xiao, J., Xie, R., Rane, M., Li, X., and Cai, L. Zinc supplementation partially prevents renal pathological
changes in diabetic rats.
Fennel: Has shown the ability to reduce blood glucose
levels in diabetic rats, while being hepatoprotective as well as supporting digestion.
Turmeric has been shown to manage pain (again, anti-inflammatory properties for the win), and recent research found that curcumin naturally activates the opioid
system in diabetic rats.