Trial provides hope for diabetics

A clinical trial to test a molecule found in New Zealand blackcurrants, may offer hope for thousands of Kiwis living with diabetes.

An estimated five per cent of Kiwis live with type 2 diabetes and this is expected to increase to seven per cent, or 430,000 people within the next 20 years.

Dr Jian Guan, an Auckland University scientist and the world’s leading expert on cyclic Glycine-Proline (cGP) research, says cGPMax will be tested in an open-label trial among a group of diabetic participants living with a range of metabolic syndromes.

The patient trial is underway at a university-affiliated hospital in China - using cGP derived from New Zealand blackcurrants at a Canterbury production facility.

The trial is due to be completed later this year and investigates if consumption of the natural form of cGP can improve blood pressure, cholesterol, and complications from diabetes including poor eye function and nerve damage.

Dr Guan has studied cGP for more than 30 years at Auckland University and says feedback from those taking non-synthetic cGP as a supplement for brain health suggests it may assist with other conditions.

“cGP is a brain nutrient that normalises a hormone essential for overall body health and may play a wider role in improving circulation and creating new blood vessels than we previously understood.”

“While consumer use of concentrated cGP is still in its relative infancy, there are indications that it may offer hope to those living with a wide range of metabolic disorders.

“Among the feedback we have received from those taking the supplement include type 2 diabetics who suggest they have regained sensation in their feet after taking cGP as well as those with high blood pressure recording improvements in their systolic & diastolic measurements.

“Should the trial be successful, it is expected to create more export opportunities for the New Zealand made cGPMax supplement in Asian markets like China - where the populations of those with metabolic disorders has risen steadily over the past ten years,” she says.

Dr Guan says the discovery that South Island blackcurrants are uniquely rich in cGP has led to further research which is investigating other natural sources of the nutrient.


0 Comments

There are no comments on this article.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to make a comment. Login Now
Opinion Poll

We're not running a poll right now. Check back soon!