ReviewCanadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien2009
Complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Review in Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 140 citations in OpenAlex.
- The efficacy of saffron supplementation on inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness and Safety of Ayurvedic Medicines in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review of complementary and alternative medicine for asthma self-management.The Nursing clinics of North America · 2013Pooled it
- Comparative Effects ofNutrients · 2024Trial
- Insulin Receptor Substrates Regulation and Clinical Responses Following Vanadium-Enriched Yeast Supplementation in Obese Type 2 Diabetic Patients: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.Biological trace element research · 2023Trial
- Phytochemical Compounds as Promising Therapeutics for Intestinal Fibrosis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Critical Review.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Perception of herbs use in treating diabetes among patients attending specialized polyclinics of National Guard Health Affairs, Jeddah.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2023Article
- Preparation and hypoglycemic effects of chromium- and zinc-richWorld journal of diabetes · 2022Article
- Clinical Application of Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Evidence Map.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Review
- Article
- Green tea and cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: a review of the current epidemiological evidence.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2021Review
- Interactions Between Gut Microbiota, Host, and Herbal Medicines: A Review of New Insights Into the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2020Review
- Herbal medicine in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Chinese medical journal · 2019Review
- Effects Of Saffron Supplementation On Inflammation And Metabolic Responses In Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2019Article
- The Effect of Different Amounts of Cinnamon Consumption on Blood Glucose in Healthy Adult Individuals.International journal of food science · 2019Article
- Phytotherapy in the Management of Diabetes: A Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2018Review
- A Descriptive Review of the Prevalence and Usage of Traditional and Complementary Medicine among Saudi Diabetic Patients.Scientifica · 2018Review
- The effect of saffron (Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences · 2018Article
- Phenolic compounds isolated from fermented blueberry juice decrease hepatocellular glucose output and enhance muscle glucose uptake in cultured murine and human cells.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2017Article
- A scientific correlation between dystemprament in Unani medicine and diseases: a systematic review.Electronic physician · 2016Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo review clinical evidence supporting complementary and alternative medicine interventions for improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. QUALITY OF EVIDENCE: MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched from January 1966 to August 2008 using the term type 2 diabetes in combination with each of the following terms for specific therapies selected by the authors: cinnamon, fenugreek, gymnema, green tea, fibre, momordica, chromium, and vanadium. Only human clinical trials were selected for review. MAIN MESSAGE: Chromium reduced glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels in a large meta-analysis. Gymnema sylvestre reduced HbA(1c) levels in 2 small open-label trials. Cinnamon improved FBG but its effects on HbA(1c) are unknown. Bitter melon had no effect in 2 small trials. Fibre had no consistent effect on HbA(1c) or FBG in 12 small trials. Green tea reduced FBG levels in 1 of 3 small trials. Fenugreek reduced FBG in 1 of 3 small trials. Vanadium reduced FBG in small, uncontrolled trials. There were no trials evaluating microvascular or macrovascular complications or other clinical end points.
conclusionChromium, and possibly gymnema, appears to improve glycemic control. Fibre, green tea, and fenugreek have other benefits but there is little evidence that they substantially improve glycemic control. Further research on bitter melon and cinnamon is warranted. There is no complementary and alternative medicine research addressing microvascular or macrovascular clinical outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
19509199PMC2694078W2167027158What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.