Pumpkins could end need for insulin injections?

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Talk about strange and unexpected ...

- - -
Pumpkins could end need for insulin injections

July 09, 2007 12:00am

Article from: The Australian
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22038975-2,00.html
- - -

Excerpts:

The humble pumpkin could end the need for
people with diabetes to have insulin injections.

Compounds found in the vegetable could
potentially replace or drastically cut the daily
number of injections for diabetics, a new study
published yesterday in the journal Chemistry
and Industry suggests.

Research showed that pumpkin extract pro-
motes regeneration of damaged pancreatic
cells in diabetic rats, boosting levels of insulin-
producing beta cells and insulin in the blood.

A group at East China Normal University found
diabetic rats fed the extract had only 5per cent
less plasma insulin and 8per cent fewer insulin-
positive (beta) cells than healthy rats.

Research leader Tao Xia said: "Pumpkin extract
is potentially a very good product for pre-diabetic
persons, as well as those who already have dia-
betes."

Insulin injections would probably still be neces-
sary but the extract would seriously reduce the
amount of insulin they had to take, he added.

David Bender, sub-dean at the Royal Free and
University College Medical School in London,
told the journal: "This research is very exciting.

"The main finding is that feeding pumpkin extract
prevents the progressive destruction of pancre-
atic beta-cells ... but it is impossible to say whe-
ther pumpkin extract would promote regenera-
tion in humans. I think the exciting thing is that
this may be a source of medication that could
be taken by mouth."

The protective effect of pumpkin is thought to
be due to antioxidants and D-chiroinositol, a mol-
cule that mediates insulin activity.

....

The rats used in the study represented type I
diabetes.

- - - end of article - - -

- - -

A tidbit of additional info from another article:
http://tinyurl.com/3yv797
Excerpt: ... The rats used all had type 1 diabetes,
but researchers believe pumpkin may also play
a role in the more common type 2 form.

Pro-Humanist FREELOVER wrote in message
<4693d79b$0$29425$a82e2bb9@reader.athenanews.com>. ..
>
>- - -
>
>Talk about strange and unexpected ...
>
>- - -
>Pumpkins could end need for insulin injections
>
>July 09, 2007 12:00am
>
>Article from: The Australian
> http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22038975-2,00.html
>- - -
>
>Excerpts:
>
>The humble pumpkin could end the need for
>people with diabetes to have insulin injections.
>
>Compounds found in the vegetable could
>potentially replace or drastically cut the daily
>number of injections for diabetics, a new study
>published yesterday in the journal Chemistry
>and Industry suggests.
>
>Research showed that pumpkin extract pro-
>motes regeneration of damaged pancreatic
>cells in diabetic rats, boosting levels of insulin-
>producing beta cells and insulin in the blood.
>
>A group at East China Normal University found
>diabetic rats fed the extract had only 5per cent
>less plasma insulin and 8per cent fewer insulin-
>positive (beta) cells than healthy rats.
>
>Research leader Tao Xia said: "Pumpkin extract
>is potentially a very good product for pre-diabetic
>persons, as well as those who already have dia-
>betes."
>
>Insulin injections would probably still be neces-
>sary but the extract would seriously reduce the
>amount of insulin they had to take, he added.
>
>David Bender, sub-dean at the Royal Free and
>University College Medical School in London,
>told the journal: "This research is very exciting.
>
>"The main finding is that feeding pumpkin extract
>prevents the progressive destruction of pancre-
>atic beta-cells ... but it is impossible to say whe-
>ther pumpkin extract would promote regenera-
>tion in humans. I think the exciting thing is that
>this may be a source of medication that could
>be taken by mouth."
>
>The protective effect of pumpkin is thought to
>be due to antioxidants and D-chiroinositol, a mol-
>cule that mediates insulin activity.
>
>...
>
>The rats used in the study represented type I
>diabetes.
>
>- - - end of article - - -

G'day G'day,

Thank you for sharing this article with us. It's good to know that
research is being carried out on ways to regenerate beta cells in the
pancreas. Ultimately such research is likely to lead to a break
through that reduces dependence on insulin or oral meds in the case of
T2 diabetics.

Is this the great breakthrough?

Despite the optimistic tone taken by the reporter, there are many
indications of a need for caution.

A. The experiment has only been carried out on rats so far.
Rats have very different dietary requirements and their metabolic
pathways differ from humans so what works with rats might well not
work with humans.

B. The report refers to an extract from pumpkins. It could be that
the amounts given to the rats would be impractical for some reason if
an attempt is made to replicate the results with humans.
Humans aren't always as obliging as rats.

Should we all be including pumpkin in our diets?

It doesn't seem likely that the "pumpkin effect" if there is one in
humans has escaped the attention of all the T1 diabetics in the world.

Somewhere there is bound to be some farming community whose mainstay
is pumpkins and there would have been anecdotal reports of the
"pumpkin effect" if it occurred with pumpkins eaten whole.

Best wishes,
Quentin.


This post not CC'd by email
On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:01:42 -0500, "Pro-Humanist FREELOVER"
<prohumanist@gr8mail.com> wrote:

>
>- - -
>
>Talk about strange and unexpected ...
>
>- - -
>Pumpkins could end need for insulin injections
>
>July 09, 2007 12:00am
>
>Article from: The Australian
> http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22038975-2,00.html
>- - -
>
>Excerpts:
>
>The humble pumpkin could end the need for
>people with diabetes to have insulin injections.
>
>Compounds found in the vegetable could
>potentially replace or drastically cut the daily
>number of injections for diabetics, a new study
>published yesterday in the journal Chemistry
>and Industry suggests.
>
>Research showed that pumpkin extract pro-
>motes regeneration of damaged pancreatic
>cells in diabetic rats, boosting levels of insulin-
>producing beta cells and insulin in the blood.
>
>A group at East China Normal University found
>diabetic rats fed the extract had only 5per cent
>less plasma insulin and 8per cent fewer insulin-
>positive (beta) cells than healthy rats.
>
>Research leader Tao Xia said: "Pumpkin extract
>is potentially a very good product for pre-diabetic
>persons, as well as those who already have dia-
>betes."
>
>Insulin injections would probably still be neces-
>sary but the extract would seriously reduce the
>amount of insulin they had to take, he added.
>
>David Bender, sub-dean at the Royal Free and
>University College Medical School in London,
>told the journal: "This research is very exciting.
>
>"The main finding is that feeding pumpkin extract
>prevents the progressive destruction of pancre-
>atic beta-cells ... but it is impossible to say whe-
>ther pumpkin extract would promote regenera-
>tion in humans. I think the exciting thing is that
>this may be a source of medication that could
>be taken by mouth."
>
>The protective effect of pumpkin is thought to
>be due to antioxidants and D-chiroinositol, a mol-
>cule that mediates insulin activity.
>
>...
>
>The rats used in the study represented type I
>diabetes.
>
>- - - end of article - - -
>

--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin

Quentin Grady <quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
: G'day G'day,

: Thank you for sharing this article with us. It's good to know that
: research is being carried out on ways to regenerate beta cells in the
: pancreas. Ultimately such research is likely to lead to a break
: through that reduces dependence on insulin or oral meds in the case of
: T2 diabetics.

: Is this the great breakthrough?

: Despite the optimistic tone taken by the reporter, there are many
: indications of a need for caution.

: A. The experiment has only been carried out on rats so far.
: Rats have very different dietary requirements and their metabolic
: pathways differ from humans so what works with rats might well not
: work with humans.

: B. The report refers to an extract from pumpkins. It could be that
: the amounts given to the rats would be impractical for some reason if
: an attempt is made to replicate the results with humans.
: Humans aren't always as obliging as rats.

It seems to me, a non-scientist, that using an "extract of pumpkin" woudl
imply some kind of concentrtin of a pumpkin element. It might be the
equivilent of eating 10 or 100 pumpkins so woudl end up as a med or
suppliment, not a dietary change. No reason not to want i to work to
restore beta cells, but just eating pumpkin seems to simple-mnded for me.
It doesn't hurt if you can handle the carbs.

Wendy

This post not CC'd by email
On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:11:57 +0000 (UTC), "W. Baker"
<wbaker@panix.com> wrote:

>It seems to me, a non-scientist, that using an "extract of pumpkin" woudl
>imply some kind of concentrtin of a pumpkin element. It might be the
>equivilent of eating 10 or 100 pumpkins so woudl end up as a med or
>suppliment, not a dietary change.

G'day G'day Wendy,

You are more of a scientist that perhaps you realise.
IMHO your reasoning is spot on. Well done.

One of the frightening things that is occurring in modern society is
that many people have abdicated logical reasoning to others.

Thankfully you're not one of them.

> No reason not to want i to work to
>restore beta cells, but just eating pumpkin seems to simple-mnded for me.

Spot on. I'm sure we'll all be happy if it works. Hey, the local
pumpkin growers will be delighted since pumpkin growing is a major
export industry here in Hawkes Bay and a demand for thousands upon
thousands even millions of pumpkins would greatly increase demand.

You might not realise that the New Zealand dollar is very strong at
the moment thanks to the world prices of milk products. The hideous
drought in Australia has of course contributed. What isn't realised
by many is that some American dairy farmers have switched to making
biofuels since there is more profit for them there. Biofuels are
great but they compete with land use for food production. It is
something that has been predicted. Well folks its happening.

I have joked a little about such things. It's a coping mechanism
because, sadly, if history repeats itself, the demand for pumpkins
won't last.

The pharmaceutical industry has a record of switching from natural
products to synthetic drugs as soon as they can. Once they've
isolated the active ingredient they'll search for closely related
compounds and find one that is more powerful and which they can
patent. That makes sense to them and so it is what will happen.

>It doesn't hurt if you can handle the carbs.

That provokes some interesting thoughts.
How safe is pumpkin with respect to carbohydrate intake?


A while back I compared various root vegetables to potato.
IIRC pumpkin had a safety factor of about three when compared to
potato.

To put it another way.

Three tablespoons of pumpkin was equivalent to one tablespoon of
potato. Of course it depends on variety etc. but the generalisation is
there.

>Wendy

Thanks Wendy for restoring my confidence in the logic of the general
public when it comes to thinking about scientific matters.

Best wishes,
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin