Effectiveness of traditional Malaysian vegetables (ulam) in modulating blood glucose levels

Ulam refers to a group of traditional Malaysian plants commonly consumed as a part of a meal, either in the raw form or after a short blanching process. Many types of ulam are thought to possess blood glucose-lowering properties, but relatively little is known on the effectiveness of ulam in modulat...

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Main Authors: Bachok, Mohd Faez, Mohd Yusof, Barakatun Nisak, Ismail, Amin, Abdul Hamid, Azizah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: HEC Press 2014
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37331/1/Effectiveness%20of%20traditional%20Malaysian%20vegetables.pdf
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author Bachok, Mohd Faez
Mohd Yusof, Barakatun Nisak
Ismail, Amin
Abdul Hamid, Azizah
author_facet Bachok, Mohd Faez
Mohd Yusof, Barakatun Nisak
Ismail, Amin
Abdul Hamid, Azizah
author_sort Bachok, Mohd Faez
collection UPM
description Ulam refers to a group of traditional Malaysian plants commonly consumed as a part of a meal, either in the raw form or after a short blanching process. Many types of ulam are thought to possess blood glucose-lowering properties, but relatively little is known on the effectiveness of ulam in modulating blood glucose levels in humans. This review aims to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of ulam in modulating blood glucose levels in humans. A literature review was conducted using multiple databases with no time restriction. Eleven studies were retrieved based on a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria. In these 11 studies, only Momordica charantia, locally known as "peria katak", was extensively studied, followed by Centella asiatica, locally known as "daun pegaga", and Alternanthera sessilis, locally known as "kermak putih". Of the 11 studies, 9 evaluated the effectiveness of M. charantia on blood glucose parameters, and 7 of which showed significant improvement in at least one parameter of blood glucose concentration. The remaining 2 studies reported nonsignificant improvements in blood glucose parameters, despite having high-quality study design according to Jadad scale. None of the studies related to C. asiatica and A. sessilis showed significant improvement in blood glucose-related parameters. Current clinical evidence does not support the popular claim that ulam has glucose-lowering effects, not even for M. charantia. Hence, further clinical investigation is needed to verify the glucose modulation effect of M. charantia, C. asiatica, and A. sessilis.
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spelling upm.eprints-373312015-08-21T07:58:17Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37331/ Effectiveness of traditional Malaysian vegetables (ulam) in modulating blood glucose levels Bachok, Mohd Faez Mohd Yusof, Barakatun Nisak Ismail, Amin Abdul Hamid, Azizah Ulam refers to a group of traditional Malaysian plants commonly consumed as a part of a meal, either in the raw form or after a short blanching process. Many types of ulam are thought to possess blood glucose-lowering properties, but relatively little is known on the effectiveness of ulam in modulating blood glucose levels in humans. This review aims to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of ulam in modulating blood glucose levels in humans. A literature review was conducted using multiple databases with no time restriction. Eleven studies were retrieved based on a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria. In these 11 studies, only Momordica charantia, locally known as "peria katak", was extensively studied, followed by Centella asiatica, locally known as "daun pegaga", and Alternanthera sessilis, locally known as "kermak putih". Of the 11 studies, 9 evaluated the effectiveness of M. charantia on blood glucose parameters, and 7 of which showed significant improvement in at least one parameter of blood glucose concentration. The remaining 2 studies reported nonsignificant improvements in blood glucose parameters, despite having high-quality study design according to Jadad scale. None of the studies related to C. asiatica and A. sessilis showed significant improvement in blood glucose-related parameters. Current clinical evidence does not support the popular claim that ulam has glucose-lowering effects, not even for M. charantia. Hence, further clinical investigation is needed to verify the glucose modulation effect of M. charantia, C. asiatica, and A. sessilis. HEC Press 2014 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37331/1/Effectiveness%20of%20traditional%20Malaysian%20vegetables.pdf Bachok, Mohd Faez and Mohd Yusof, Barakatun Nisak and Ismail, Amin and Abdul Hamid, Azizah (2014) Effectiveness of traditional Malaysian vegetables (ulam) in modulating blood glucose levels. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 23 (3). pp. 369-376. ISSN 0964-7058; ESSN: 1440-6047 http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/23/3/369.pdf 10.6133/apjcn.2014.23.3.01
spellingShingle Bachok, Mohd Faez
Mohd Yusof, Barakatun Nisak
Ismail, Amin
Abdul Hamid, Azizah
Effectiveness of traditional Malaysian vegetables (ulam) in modulating blood glucose levels
title Effectiveness of traditional Malaysian vegetables (ulam) in modulating blood glucose levels
title_full Effectiveness of traditional Malaysian vegetables (ulam) in modulating blood glucose levels
title_fullStr Effectiveness of traditional Malaysian vegetables (ulam) in modulating blood glucose levels
title_full_unstemmed Effectiveness of traditional Malaysian vegetables (ulam) in modulating blood glucose levels
title_short Effectiveness of traditional Malaysian vegetables (ulam) in modulating blood glucose levels
title_sort effectiveness of traditional malaysian vegetables ulam in modulating blood glucose levels
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37331/1/Effectiveness%20of%20traditional%20Malaysian%20vegetables.pdf
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