New Dr. Rath Study Shows Benefits of Natural Compounds in Preventing & Reversing Diabetes Complications

A new study carried out by scientists at the Dr. Rath Research Institute highlights the benefits of natural compounds in preventing and reversing complications of diabetes. Published in the American Journal of Food and Nutrition, the paper makes an important contribution to our understanding of diabetes by demonstrating the potential for protein glycation to be reversed naturally. A process in which sugar molecules such as glucose attach themselves to proteins in the body, protein glycation can contribute to a wide variety of complications in diabetes. Conventional medicine currently views this process as irreversible.

Given the serious impact of diabetes on public health and the fact that millions of prediabetes cases worldwide remain undiagnosed, the study stresses the importance of developing natural, non-toxic, economical therapies that can be applied as preventive and adjunctive treatment. The effective management of blood sugar levels will be vital to the success of any such approach.

Chronic high blood sugar levels lead to the formation of glycated proteins known as Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), including glycated hemoglobin (HbA1). AGE compounds are toxic to multiple organs and can trigger serious diabetes-related problems such as neuropathy, retinopathy, and atherosclerosis, with an increased risk of heart disease and other pathologies.

Currently, the standard approach to preventing AGEs is by following sugar restricted diets and artificially lowering blood glucose with drugs. However, this approach has its limitations due to the side effects of drugs and selectivity to certain proteins. For instance, to renew proteins such as HbA1, it generally takes around 2 to 3 months before new, synthesized proteins replace the existing, glycosylated forms and result in an HbA1-lowering effect. However, in proteins with low turnover the damage continues and is accompanied by chronic inflammation and dysfunction of multiple organs.

The prevailing scientific understanding is that once glucose becomes attached to a protein it cannot be reversed. Scientists at the Dr. Rath Research Institute therefore tested the efficacy of natural compounds, including Krebs cycle mediators and amino acids, and demonstrated that they work individually and synergistically to prevent the glycation of serum protein (albumin) caused by glucose and fructose. Fructose, a substance included in numerous food products in the form of high fructose corn syrup, is more damaging than glucose.

Significantly, the study showed that a combination of natural compounds could reverse the glycation of the amino acid L-lysine by converting Nε-(1-Carboxymethyl)-L-lysine to free L-lysine in vitro. This implies that the natural removal of AGEs is possible and that it could be achieved by using a combination of nutrients. Interestingly, these nutrients were not effective in releasing free lysine when applied individually but worked very efficiently when combined together. This finding provides further confirmation of the importance of nutrient synergy.

The combinations of natural compounds used in the study also improved mitochondrial bioenergetics in skeletal muscle cells and protected nerve cells (microglia) from oxidative stress damage. This has the potential to counteract the damaging effects of diabetes, including vascular damage, cardiomyopathy, neuropathy, and other pathologies.

Ultimately, the study data show that a combination of specific natural compounds demonstrated superior biological efficacy in countering important metabolic aspects of diabetes. This groundbreaking approach should be further evaluated as an effective, safe, non-toxic alternative in the treatment and management of the condition.