- Moringa oleifera,
- clinical trial,
- Type 2 diabetes
Copyright (c) 2020 Merlin Luke Willcox, Lassana Sissoko, Nouhoum Diarra, Ibrahim Nientao, Beth Stuart, Adiaratou Togola, Drissa Diallo

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
BackgroundMoringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae) leaves are commonly used for diabetes in Mali. This pilot clinical study aimed to evaluate its effect on post-prandial blood glucose in preparation for a larger trial.
MethodsDiabetic patients and non-diabetic healthy volunteers (35 each) were asked to fast for 13 hours on three occasions. Blood glucose was measured before and after eating 100g of white bread (at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 minutes). On their second and third study visits, they were given 1g and 2g respectively of M. oleifera leaf powder, 30 minutes after eating the bread. We calculated the mean paired reduction in blood glucose at each time interval and the incremental area under the curve.
ResultsIngestion of Moringa powder had no effect on blood glucose in non-diabetic participants, but in diabetic patients, it lowered blood glucose at 90 minutes. There was a trend towards lower incremental area under the curve when diabetic patients took 2g of Moringa. No side-effects were reported by any participants.
ConclusionsMoringa oleifera leaf powder reduced post-prandial glycaemia in diabetic patients. A larger study is needed to define the optimal dose and to assess whether this translates into longer-term benefits.