Milk Thistle Help for Diabetes

Clinical Evidence of Milk Thistle's Anti-Diabetic Effects

Milk thistle helps lower blood sugar and prevents complications of diabetes.

Milk thistle extracts have a number of effects that could help prevent the development or progression of diabetes. Benefits of milk thistle include:

Boosts antioxidants and antioxidant activity in the pancreas. ⁽¹⁸²⁾
Stimulates growth of insulin-producing cells in damaged pancreatic tissue. ⁽¹⁸³⁾
Inhibits key enzymes that break down carbohydrates, which can reduce glucose absorption as well as blood sugar levels after eating. ⁽¹⁸⁴⁾
Lowers high blood sugar levels (type 1 and type 2 diabetes models). ⁽¹⁸⁵⁾
Protects against damage to the pancreas, nerves, and kidneys by free radicals induced by diabetes. ^{(67, 69, 182)}
Counters insulin resistance (including in people with liver disease). ⁽⁶⁶⁾
Reduces risks of diabetic complications, such as diabetic nephropathy and diabetic retinopathy. ⁽⁶⁷⁾

Clinical Evidence of Milk Thistle's Anti-Diabetic Effects

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Effects on Patients with Diabetes and Insulin Resistance
Study Information	Outcome
23 month open, controlled, clinical trial ⁽⁶⁶⁾ 60 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver and diabetes ⁽⁶⁶⁾ 600 mg milk thistle's silymarin compounds a day or standard therapy alone ⁽⁶⁶⁾	Those who took silymarin along with their diabetes medications showed better outcomes than those who took the drugs by themselves: Lowered fasting blood sugar levels. ⁽⁶⁶⁾ Decreased average blood sugar levels. ⁽⁶⁶⁾ Reduced fasting insulin levels. ⁽⁶⁶⁾ Improved HbA1c and malondialdehydes levels. ⁽⁶⁶⁾
45 day randomized, triple blind, placebo controlled clinical trial ⁽¹⁸⁶⁾ 40 patients with type 2 diabetes controlled by conventional diabetes drugs ⁽¹⁸⁶⁾ 140 mg 3 times a day of dried milk thistle extract ⁽¹⁸⁶⁾	Milk thistle extracts work better than diabetes drugs alone at reducing hs-CRP levels. Silymarin also significantly increases antioxidant levels. ⁽¹⁸⁶⁾
3 month randomized, double blind, placebo controlled 2-arm parallel clinical trial ⁽⁶⁸⁾ 60 patients with type-2 diabetes with diabetic nephropathy progressing despite drug treatment ⁽⁶⁸⁾ 140 mg milk thistle's silymarin compounds 3 times a day or placebo ⁽⁶⁸⁾	Reduced urinary albumin excretion. ⁽⁶⁸⁾ Blocked inflammatory proteins. ⁽⁶⁸⁾ Decreased signs of free radical damage. ⁽⁶⁸⁾ Reduced markers for fibrosis in the kidneys. ⁽⁶⁸⁾ Study results suggest silymarin could help slow the progression of kidney disease caused by diabetes. ⁽⁶⁸⁾
4 month randomized, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial ⁽¹⁸⁷⁾ 51 patients with type-2 diabetes ⁽¹⁸⁷⁾ 200 mg milk thistle's silymarin compounds 3 times a day, along with conventional diabetes drugs (metformin and glibenclamide) ⁽¹⁸⁷⁾	Lowered fasting blood sugar levels. ⁽¹⁸⁷⁾ Reduced HbA1c and malondialdehydes levels. ⁽¹⁸⁷⁾ Decreased total cholesterol levels. ⁽¹⁸⁷⁾ Lowered LDL cholesterol levels. ⁽¹⁸⁷⁾ Improved triglyceride levels. ⁽¹⁸⁷⁾ Milk thistle compounds significantly improved markers for type 2 diabetes over placebo and over baseline measurements in patients. Those who took silymarin also showed some weight loss and reduced diastolic blood pressure, but these effects were not significant. ⁽¹⁸⁷⁾

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