Indigenous to South America, Africa and Southeast Asia, graviola trees are known by multiple common names, including soursop, guanabana, custard apple and Brazilian paw paw. Traditional medicine uses graviola trees for their purported anti-inflammatory activity. Research has suggested a link between inflammation and diabetes, particularly in obese individuals. However, only animal studies prove the value of graviola in diabetes treatment to date, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Speak to your doctor or health-care provider about graviola trees and diabetes.
Inflammation
Research has tied chronic inflammation to the onset of diabetes. Inflammatory proteins such as interleukin-6, interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha present in fat cells trigger a low-grade inflammation in the body that over time creates insulin resistance and eventually diabetes. A 2010 study conducted by Australian researchers and published in the journal "Diabetes" found that the fat cells of obese women contained a high presence of these inflammatory markers.
Research
In 2010, researchers from Brazil recorded anti-inflammatory properties in the extracts from graviola trees. However, these findings occurred in animal models and not in human subjects with insulin resistance or diabetes. The results of the study were published in the "International Journal of Molecular Sciences."
Blood Glucose Levels
Research conducted by Nigerian researchers and published in the "African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines" established a link between extracts from graviola trees and the lowering of blood glucose levels in 2009. However, the link occurred in animals and not in humans with elevated levels of glucose in their blood. According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, human studies that definitively link graviola trees with either anti-inflammatory actions in humans or the capacity to lower high blood sugar levels in human diabetics do not exist.
Caveat
Graviola trees have a long history of medicinal use in traditional medicine. That said, human studies to prove the efficacy of graviola trees as a treatment to combat inflammation in diabetics are lacking. The same is true of human studies to prove that graviola trees can effectively lower blood sugar levels. In addition, the safety of graviola trees as a treatment for diabetes has not been tested in human trials. Seek medical clearance before you use graviola trees in the treatment of diabetes.
References
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Cancer Information; Graviola; April 2011
- "Diabetes"; Pro-Inflammatory CD11c+CD206+ Adipose Tissue Macrophages Are Associated With Insulin Resistance in Human Obesity; John M. Wentworth et al.; July 2010
- "International Journal of Molecular Sciences"; Antinociceptive and Anti-inflammatory Activities of the Ethanol Extract of Annona Muricata L. Leaves in Animal Models; O.V. de Sousa et al.; May 2010
- "African Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicines"; Anti-hyperglycemic Activities of Annona Muricata (Linn); David Olawale Adeyemi et al.; October 2008
