The effects of Moringa oleifera on blood glucose levels: A scoping review of the literature

Abstract

Diabetes is an increasingly problematic health concern in the United States. Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) has been suggested as medication in the prevention or treatment of diabetes, but there is no convincing evidence of a causal relation between moringa and decreased blood sugar levels in humans. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine the effects of Moringa oleifera on blood glucose levels in rats and humans. A search of Scopus, Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, IPA, and Web of Science and manual searching of bibliographies were performed for peer-reviewed English articles published between May 1, 2008 and May 1, 2018. This review included thirty studies. Out of seven human studies, five found that M. oleifera significantly reduced blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. Out of twenty-three animal studies, twenty-one found that administration of M. oleifera led to a statistically significant decrease in animal blood glucose levels. In human studies, moringa was mostly administered in a powdered leaf form, while in animal studies it was frequently administered to as an aqueous or ethanol-based extract. The review found statistical evidence that moringa decreased blood glucose; the evidence is not strong enough to recommend it as the default treatment for people with diabetes.

Keywords: Antidiabetic; Aqueous; Blood glucose; Ethanol; Moringa oleifera.