Butterfly pea flower inhibits enzymes that increase blood sugar levels

Butterfly pea flower extract inhibits digestive enzymes, including:

  • pancreatic α-amylase (chops up starch into smaller sugars like dextrins and maltose)
  • intestinal maltase (chops up maltose into two glucose molecules)
  • intestinal sucrase (chops up sucrose into one fructose and one glucose molecule)

Jump to the data

Why is this important ?

In order to use them as fuel, our bodies process complex carbohydrates into smaller digestible units such as glucose molecules. This is achieved through the activity of digestive enzymes. Liberation of small sugars by chopping up large carbohydrates results in an increase in blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). Hyperglycemia signals to the body to release the hormone insulin, which leads to a surge in blood insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia).

Persistent hyperinsulinemia is associated with development of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS can go on to damage our body’s proteins, lipids, and DNA molecules. 

Using drugs to reduce the efficiency or inhibit digestive enzymes (for example using α-glucosidase inhibitor drugs: voglibose, miglitol, or acarbose) is common practice in treating patients with type 2 diabetes. By blocking digestive enzymes, we prevent the liberation of glucose into the blood and also limit the subsequent hyperinsulinemia.

Data from this study demonstrate a use for butterfly pea flowers in the management of diabetes – though this must be followed up with clinical studies. It also provides a potential mechanism that may explain observations from other studies, more specifically, why butterfly pea helps reduce big changes in blood glucose levels after eating sugar.

NB. We do not recommend discontinuing medications that treat diabetes for a diet rich soley in butterfly pea flowers – please speak with your physician first.

The study:

Adisakwattana, S, Ruengsamran, T, Kampa, P, Sompong, W,  2012, ‘In vitro inhibitory effects of plant-based foods and their combinations on intestinal α-glucosidase and pancreatic α-amylase’ BMC Complement Altern Med. vol 12, pp 1-8 Link

Type of study : in vitro (lab-based data)

Researchers demonstrate that butterfly pea flower extract inhibits key enzymes that process carbohydrates into simple sugars. Interestingly, they also show that this inhibitory effect is additive when combined with extracts from other clinically-relevant plants.

inhibit-digestive-enzymes

These data show that butterfly pea flower extract consistently inhibited of all three digestive enzymes by 35-40%  (green boxes)

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