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Dr. Weeks Comment: As the healing power of unadulterated, unenriched foods becomes evident and as they are considered superior to drugs with the resultant bad side effects, watch for the FDA to out law …. healing foods. Like they tried with the essential amino acid tryptophan! All natural plants wouldn’t have survived evolutionary processes unless they carried with them healing forces. Let food be your preventive medicine.
Metabolism. 2003 Jul;52(7):875-80.
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Mode of action of ipomoea batatas (Caiapo) in type 2 diabetic patients.
3rd Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Vienna, Austria.
We have previously reported the beneficial effects of Caiapo, the extract of white-skinned sweet potato (ipomoea batatas), on fasting plasma glucose, as well as on total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in type 2 diabetic patients. The present study aimed to describe the underlying mechanism responsible for the improvement in metabolic control following administration of Caiapo in those type 2 subjects. A total of 18 male patients (age=58+/-8 years, body mass index [BMI]=27.7+/-2.7 kg/m2, mean +/- SEM) treated only by diet were randomized into 3 groups (placebo, low-dose Caiapo, 2 g/d, and high-dose, 4 g/d). Parameters related to glucose tolerance, glucose disappearance, and insulin secretion were obtained by performing both frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT) and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) before and after 6 weeks of treatment with Caiapo. Following treatment with high dose Caiapo, insulin sensitivity significantly ameliorated when assessed both with OGTT (from 308+/-13 mg/min/m2 to 334+/-10, P=.048) and FSIGT (from 1.21+/-0.32 10(4) min(-1)/(microU/mL) to 1.73+/-0.40, P=.021). Improvement of insulin sensitivity with the low dose was observed only with the FSIGT (from 2.02+/-0.70 10(4) min(-1)/(microU/mL) to 2.76+/-0.89, P<.05). Glucose effectiveness did not change. While no changes in glucose tolerance were observed in the placebo and low-dose groups, it increased from 0.85+/-0.13 %min(-1) to 1.46+/-0.13 (P<.02) in patients on high dose. No significant changes were seen in any of the parameters related to insulin dynamics: insulin secretion (from C-peptide), distribution, clearance, and hepatic extraction remained virtually the same after the treatment. ‘
In conclusion, short-term treatment with 4 g/d of the nutraceutical Caiapo consistently improved metabolic control in type 2 diabetic patients by decreasing insulin resistance without affecting body weight, glucose effectiveness, or insulin dynamics.
No side effects related to the treatment were observed. Thus these results indicate that Caiapo could potentially play a role in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
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Diabetes Obes Metab. 2008 Jul;10(7):586-92. Epub 2007 Jul 21.
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Improved metabolic control by Ipomoea batatas (Caiapo) is associated with increased adiponectin and decreased fibrinogen levels in type 2 diabetic subjects.
Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. bernhard.ludvik@meduniwien.ac.at
AIM: The extract of the white-skinned sweet potato Ipomoea batatas (Caiapo) has been shown to ameliorate glucose control by improving insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The present study was designed to further evaluate its mode of action on insulin sensitivity over an extended period of time as well as the effects on fibrinogen and other markers of low-grade inflammation.
METHODS: In this randomized trial, 27 patients with T2DM on diet only received 4 g of Caiapo daily for 5 months; 34 patients placebo. Before and after therapy, insulin sensitivity [oral glucose insulin sensitivity (OGIS), as glucose clearance from oral glucose tolerance test], parameters of diabetes control, lipids, plasma adiponectin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and fibrinogen were measured.
RESULTS: Following Caiapo, we observed an increase in OGIS (293 +/- 15 vs. 321 +/- 12 ml/m(2)/min, p = 0.0072) and adiponectin (5.97 +/- 0.65 to 6.63 +/- 0.70 microg/ml, p = 0.013), while fibrinogen decreased from 3.83 +/- 0.16 to 3.64 +/- 0.18 mg/ml (p = 0.02). This was associated with an improvement in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c: 6.46 +/- 0.12 vs. 6.25 +/- 0.11%, p = 0.008), fasting glucose (138 +/- 4 vs. 128 +/- 5 mg/dl, p = 0.039) and triglycerides (2.36 +/- 0.22 vs. 2.07 +/- 0.25 mmol/l, p = 0.032). Body weight, lipid levels and hs-CRP were not altered. No changes were observed in the placebo group except for HbA1c, which significantly increased from 6.25 +/- 0.10 to 6.50 +/- 0.12% (p = 0.0001).
CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the beneficial effects of Caiapo on glucose and HbA1c control in patients with T2DM after 5 months follow-up. Improvement of insulin sensitivity was accompanied by increased levels of adiponectin and a decrease in fibrinogen. Thus, Caiapo can be considered as natural insulin sensitizer with potential antiatherogenic properties.
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Diabetes Care. 2004 Feb;27(2):436-40.
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Efficacy of Ipomoea batatas (Caiapo) on diabetes control in type 2 diabetic subjects treated with diet.
Department of Medicine III, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. bernhard.ludvik@akh-wien.ac.at
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the tolerability, efficacy, and mode of action of Caiapo, an extract of white sweet potatoes, on metabolic control in type 2 diabetic patients.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 61 type 2 diabetic patients treated by diet were given 4 g Caiapo (n = 30; mean age 55.2 +/- 2.1 years; BMI 28.0 +/- 0.4 kg/m(2)) or placebo (n = 31; mean age 55.6 +/- 1.5 years; BMI 27.6 +/- 0.3 kg/m(2)) once daily for 12 weeks. Each subject underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at baseline and after 1, 2, and 3 months to assess 2-h glucose levels. Additionally, fasting blood glucose, HbA(1c), total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were measured.
RESULTS: After treatment with Caiapo, HbA(1c) decreased significantly (P < 0.001) from 7.21 +/- 0.15 to 6.68 +/- 0.14%, whereas it remained unchanged (P = 0.23) in subjects given placebo (7.04 +/- 0.17 vs. 7.10 +/- 0.19%). Fasting blood glucose levels decreased (P < 0.001) in the Caiapo group (143.7 +/- 1.9 vs. 128.5 +/- 1.7 mg/dl) and did not change in the placebo group (144.3 +/- 1.9 vs. 138.2 +/- 2.1 mg/dl; P = 0.052). A decrease in body weight was observed in both the placebo group (P = 0.0027) and in the Caiapo group (P < 0.0001), probably due to a better- controlled lifestyle. In the Caiapo group, body weight was related to the improvement in glucose control (r = 0.618; P < 0.0002). Two-hour glucose levels were significantly (P < 0.001) decreased in the Caiapo group (193.3 +/- 10.4 vs. 162.8 +/- 8.2 mg/dl) compared with the placebo group (191.7 +/- 9.2 vs. 181.0 +/- 7.1 mg/dl). Mean cholesterol at the end of the treatment was significantly lower in the Caiapo group (214.6 +/- 11.2 mg/dl) than in the placebo group (248.7 +/- 11.2 mg/dl; P < 0.05). No significant changes in triglyceride levels or blood pressure were observed, and Caiapo was well tolerated without significant adverse effects.
CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the beneficial effects of Caiapo on plasma glucose as well as cholesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. For the first time, the long-term efficacy of Caiapo on glucose control was demonstrated by the observed decrease in HbA(1c). Thus, the neutraceutical Caiapo seems to be a useful agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
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