Grape Seed Extract improves blood sugar control in obese diabetics within 4 weeks

                      
This is a crossover study of obese patients with diabetes performed at the Academic Unit of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Queen Alexandra Hospital in the UK. Patients with diabetes were all placed on appropriate medical care, diet and were supplemented with 600mg of Grape Seed Extract (GSE) daily or inactive placebo for 4 weeks.  Then patients on GSE were switched to placebo and vice versa. The fructosamine level improved dramatically by 9 points on average, on this dosage of GSE. The fructosamine level is obtained in a blood test and it gives a two-week to three-week picture of blood sugar control – this is similar to HbA1c which is a three-month picture of blood sugar control). Glutathione, a master antioxidant that protects the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, blood vessel walls and eyes, improved dramatically, vascular inflammation noted by a drop in CRP improved dramatically and cholesterol improved by a few points. The study is published in the May 2009 issue of the journal Diabetic Medicine, a journal of the British Diabetic Association.