High Blood Sugar Levels

Gymnema Sylvestre is an herb native to the tropical forests of southern and central India where it has been used as a naturopathic treatment for a wide range of health conditions, including diabetes control, headache, poisoning, wounds and bronchial asthma, coughs and fever.

Gymnema sylvestre is also referred to as gur-mar, or “sugar destroyer”. When Gymnema leaf is placed directly on the tongue, it eliminates the sensation of sweetness, even if sugar is put in the mouth immediately following. When taken internally, it helps to control blood sugar levels in diabetes. Gymnema is an important ingredient in Ayurvedic formulas for diabetes.

Indian physicians first used gymnema to treat diabetes almost 2,000 years ago. In the 1920s, preliminary scientific studies found some evidence that gymnema leaves can reduce blood sugar levels. But nothing much came of this observation for decades.

The active constituents in Gymnema sylvestre have been identified as a group of novel compounds collectively known as gymnemic acids. The leaves of Gymnema sylvestre perform two significant functions relative to diabetes. First, they suppress blood glucose, especially after eating. Secondly, they are are insulinotropic, and promote insulin secretion. Gymnema leaf and its extracts perform two important functions. By this two-pronged approach, Gymnema sylvestre proves a valuable aid in diabetes control.

By blocking the taste buds from tasting sugar, gymnema blocked sugar in the digestive system, resulting in a decrease in blood sugar, also known as a hypoglycemic effect. This medicinal action has been studied since the late 1930s.

Researchers at India’s University of Madras in the early 1990s found that high doses (40 gm of dried herb daily) of gymnema extracts may actually help to repair or regenerate the pancreas’s beta cells, which play a crucial role in the production and secretion of insulin. Few other substances, synthetic or natural, offer such promise for reversing beta cell damage and at least partially reducing diabetics’ need for insulin and other drugs. On the other hand, studies indicate that animals that do not have diabetes do not produce more insulin after consuming gymnema.

Currently, gymnema is known primarily for its sugar-blocking properties. It is used to treat high blood sugar in diabetics and has been promoted as a weight loss remedy.

 Eli Lilly and Company has announced changes to the labeling of Zyprexa and Symbyax, two brand-name atypical antipsychotics produced and sold by the company. Eli Lilly has updated the labeling to include more warning information on potentially harmful weight gain and blood sugar elevation that may result from taking the medications.

According to Eli Lilly, the label changes came about because of conversations with the FDA, as well as new analyses of the data from large clinical trials conducted by the company and others. The company will be sending a “Dear Healthcare Practitioner” letter to doctors about the new labeling, as well as informing consumer advocacy and professional associations.

Zyprexa is the brand name for olanzapine, while Symbyax is a mix of olanzapine and fluoxetine. Zyprexa is approved for use in treatment of schizophrenia and the mixed and manic portions of bipolar disorder, while Symbyax is approved for the treatment of bipolar depression.

Neither product is approved for patients with dementia, and they may increase the risk of death if used on elderly dementia patients. Nevertheless, in the past the company has marketed Zyprexa for treatment of dementia and for manic bipolar episodes.

One of the labeling changes focuses on unnatural weight gain from olanzapine. According to the company, the drug has been shown to lead to “significant and sometimes very high elevations in triglyceride levels.”

The other major change is a stronger emphasis on the drug’s effect on blood glucose levels. According to the company, atypical antipsychotics in general may lead to an increase in blood sugar levels, while olanzapine has an even greater effect than other such drugs. In some cases, patients treated with such medications have suffered complications including ketoacidosis, coma and even death.

In January, Eli Lilly settled 18,000 lawsuits from patients who alleged that using Zyprexa caused them to develop diabetes or other diseases. The company agreed to pay $500 million, bringing its total Zyprexa-related settlement costs to $1.2 billion.