Plant-Based Products, Phytochemicals and Glycemic Control

The prevalence of diabetes is constantly increasing among both Western and developing countries. For centuries, humans have used different plants species to treat chronic diseases, including diabetes. Nowadays, the use of natural remedies for the management of blood glucose and the treatment of diabetes is widespread especially among the populations of African and Asian countries and in part of Central and South America, as, for various reasons, they have little access to conventional drugs. However, interest in the use of plants as hypoglycemic agents is also growing among Western countries, always looking for new functional foods and nutraceutics to be used both to prevent and treat diabetes. From plants it is possible to extract bioactive compounds or phytochemicals, some of which have promising hypoglycemic properties. However, many aspects remain to be elucidated. There are still doubts about the safety of use and especially about the effectiveness of plants and phytochemicals in improving glycemic control. Moreover, understanding the mechanisms underlying the biological effects of phytochemicals on glucose metabolism is vital to determining their use for both preventive and therapeutic purposes.
This Research Topic focuses on providing evidence of the effectiveness of plants and phytochemicals in improving glycemic control in preclinical and clinical models. Moreover, being a key point for the development and application of new therapeutic approaches, studies investigating their mechanism of action are urgently required. Lastly, studies evaluating the safety of use and the possible interaction of plants and phytochemicals with conventional antidiabetic therapies are welcome.
This Research Topic welcomes original research and review articles focused on the use of plant and phytochemicals in improving glycemic control in health and disease. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Efficacy of plants and/or phytochemicals in improving glycemic control
• Delineation of mechanism of action underlying the biological effect of plant and phytochemicals on glucose metabolism
• Interaction of plant and phytochemicals with conventional anti-diabetic drugs