Diamaxol: An herbal cure for diabetes?

What can you tell me about the safety and effectiveness of a dietary supplement called Diamaxol for diabetes? It's supposed to regulate blood sugar naturally and is being marketed as an alternative to prescription medications.

- Bill / Canada

Answer

The manufacturer of Diamaxol, formerly called Diabeticine, states that the product's ingredients include banaba, bitter melon, cinnamon, Gymnema sylvestre, huckleberry, chromium, zinc and biotin. Some of these ingredients have been tested individually as treatments for high blood sugar. For example, a study done in Pakistan suggested that cinnamon capsules had a significant effect on blood sugar. Unfortunately, a subsequent study failed to detect such an effect.

It is far from clear that any of the individual ingredients in Diamaxol have a consistent and reliable effect on blood sugar. More important, the manufacturer doesn't provide any evidence that research has been conducted on this specific combination of herbal supplements. This is important because it's difficult to predict how any two herbs may interact — let alone how a combination of eight or more herbs will interact.

A clinical trial is the best way to ascertain whether a group of herbs and supplements will have the desired effect or cause unexpected side effects or worse. As with any dietary supplement, take the claims made by the manufacturer with a grain of salt. Unless peer-reviewed research is available, it's best to treat the claims as just that — claims.

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