Effects of Panax notoginseng (Chinese ginseng) and acute exercise on postprandial glycemia in non-diabetic adults

J Complement Integr Med. 2012 Jan 4:8:/j/jcim.2011.8.issue-1/1553-3840.1402/1553-3840.1402.xml. doi: 10.2202/1553-3840.1402.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Panax Notoginseng (PNG) taken for 3 days and one 30-min cycling exercise can reduce postprandial hyperglycemia after ingesting a 75-mg oral glucose solution (OGTT) in untrained non-diabetic men, age 20-45 years. We randomly assigned 52 men to: 1) ginseng (G) + exercise (G+Ex, n=14), 2) ginseng (G, n=13), 3) placebo (C) + exercise (C+Ex, n=12), and 4) placebo control groups (C, n=13). The G and C groups took a daily 3g dose of PNG and cornstarch-placebo supplement for 3 days, respectively. The exercise groups also performed a 30-min cycling exercise on day 3 prior to OGTT. The daily 3g-dose of PNG supplementation significantly lowered postprandial plasma glucose (PG) concentration at 30 min post-OGTT in the G group, compared with C (mean Δ±SE: G vs. C = 26.3±11 mg/dl, p<0.05) and PG area under the curve (PG-AUC0-90) in the G and G+Ex groups, relative to the C (G vs. C = 96.5±42 and G+Ex vs. C = 85.2±41 mg/dl, both p<0.05). We conclude that a daily 3g-dose of PNG taken for 3 days, not one acute bout of 30-min cycling exercise at 60% VO2max, lowered postprandial glycemia at 30-min post-OGTT and PG-AUC 0-90 min in non-diabetic men, age 20-45 years.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bicycling
  • Blood Glucose / drug effects*
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / pharmacology*
  • Exercise Test*
  • Humans
  • Hyperglycemia / prevention & control*
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Insulin / blood
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Oxygen Consumption
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Blood Glucose
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • Hypoglycemic Agents
  • Insulin
  • Panax notoginseng extract