While unknown to many, Abscisic Acid (ABA) is a plant hormone or molecule that helps regulate the responses of plants to changing environmental conditions, such as weather, light, nutrient and water availability. For example, ABA has been shown to help plants adapt to changing climate conditions by controlling size and protecting plant seeds and buds. Unexpectedly, ABA has also been detected in mammals where it regulates immune cell activity, prompting further research.
Studies in mice and in humans have shown that ABA exhibits regulatory functions in managing glucose levels (blood sugar) andlipid metabolism. Such findings makeABAa new and attractivemoleculefor saving insulin and ultimately treating people who have prediabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Prediabetes and Metabolic Syndrome
Prediabetes is a stage classified before the diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). Before people develop T2DM, they almost always have prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as T2DM. Blood sugar levels are high mainly due to unhealthy eating and poor dieting. The body cannot sustain continuous high levels of blood sugar as it forces more insulin to be produced in order to compensate. Insulin helps regulate blood sugar levels and helps the body use it for energy. However, overproduction of insulin leads to a condition called insulin resistance (a cornerstone of T2DM) where the body can no longer create insulin that effectively manages sugar levels. For this reason, protecting insulin and your body's ability to create and use it efficiently, is very important. Unlike T2DM, prediabetes can be reversed back to a normal condition. Early treatment consisting of healthy dieting and exercise can help reduce blood sugar levels and prevent insulin from being overused.
Prediabetes can result in other conditions as well, especially those related to heart disease. It is accompanied by an imbalance between 'good' cholesterol (HDL-C) and 'bad' cholesterol (LDL-C), a contributing factor to the onset of metabolic syndrome (MetS), a prediabetes equivalent. Defined by a series of conditions which include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, high body fat and irregular cholesterol and triglyceride levels, MetS is closely linked to heart disease, stroke and diabetes. People who have metabolic syndrome typically have apple-shaped bodies, meaning they have larger waists and carry a lot of weight around their abdomens. It's thought that having a pear-shaped body - carrying more weight around the hips and having a narrower waist - doesn't increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease and other complications of metabolic syndrome.
Absiscic Acid (ABA) in PreDia®
PreDia® contains GSECM-50, a source of the scientifically proven dosage of Abscisic acid (ABA), made of Grape seed extract, chromium and magnesium. Only PreDia® contains the optimal amount and delicate balance of ABA needed to reduce the typical markers associated with prediabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Original findings from Bruzzone et al. observed that ABA had an interesting correlating effect with glucose levels in the blood. High glucose concentrations stimulated the release of ABA from β-pancreatic cells.Thisprovided the first indication of the effects of ABA. Further studies in mice confirmed that ABA lowers blood sugar levels by absorbing glucose into the cells and converting them into energy. In addition, it allowed for more glucose to be converted into storage (glycogen) for later use. Further studies were done on humans. A three-month open clinical study was performed with PreDia®. Participants in the study using PreDia® experienced lower Fasting glycemia, HbA1c, total cholesterol levels, and body weight & waist circumference.
Summary of the main results obtained in the three-months clinical study with PreDia®
PreDia® lowers glycemia during a standard breakfast in healthy human subjects
After overnight fasting, participants consumed a standard breakfast (i.e. with defined carbohydrates content approx. 1 g/Kg BW) with PreDia and without, taken 20 min before breakfast. The two experiments were performed one week apart.
Altogether these results indicate that the daily intake of ABA in PreDia ® improves markers of prediabetes and of the metabolic syndrome (BMI, WC, TC), particularly when they are borderline. Notably, these results are in line with the previously observed results in mice. The most important discovery was that ABA lowered blood sugar levels independent of insulin. This meant that the body didn't need to rely solely on insulin, reducing the risk of overusing insulin and developing insulin resistance. Studies have confirmed this by showing ABA increasing in the body after a high glucose meal and stimulating the skeletal muscle glucose uptake. The ability of saving insulin to control sugar levels represents the most important function of PreDia®.
