Polyphenols, Vitamin A Curb Type I Diabetes

DAVIS, Calif.—Diabetic rats fed polyphenol- or vitamin A-rich foods had between a 25- and 33-percent reduction in incidence of Type I diabetes. Researchers from University of California, here, published their results in the May issue of The Journal of Nutrition (137:1216-1221, 2007).

Non-diabetic mice were fed a control diet or diets containing either one-percent freeze-dried grape powder (GP) or 250 IU/g vitamin A (0.262 µmol retinyl acetate/g). Researchers considered mice diabetic when blood glucose reached 13.9 mmol/L or greater. After seven months, 71 percent of control mice developed diabetes; incidence of diabetes in mice consuming the GP food and those ingesting vitamin A food decreased by 33 percent and 25 percent, respectively. Splenocytes taken from mice in both intervention groups had lower TNF-alpha production after LPS (lipopolysaccharide) stimulation than control mice. Further, histological analysis of pancreatic tissue showed, compared to controls, mice receiving enriched diets showed a significant reduction in the severity of insulitis—inflammation of the islet of Langerhan’s cells in the pancreas, an autoimmune component of juvenile diabetes Type I.

Researchers concluded diets rich in polyphenols or vitamin A have protective effects against autoimmune inflammatory attack of the islet beta cells and have the potential to reduce the onset and pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes.

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