Background: Some animal and cellular experiments showed that ampelopsis grossedentata (APL) was helpful to improve insulin resistance or glucose uptake.
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of APL on blood glucose metabolism, lipid, and renal function parameters in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Methods: Eighty participants with T2DM were randomly assigned to the APL group (n = 40, 10 g of APL daily contained 970 mg of dihydromyricetin) or to the placebo group (n = 40, 10 g of APL daily deleted dihydromyricetin) for 1 month in a double-blind, randomized clinical trial. Blood levels of glucose and insulin, lipids, and renal function parameters were assayed.
Results: Seventy subjects completed the trial (36 in the APL group and 34 in the placebo group). The baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. Compared with the placebo group, the levels of fasting plasma glucose, glycated albumin, cystatin C, and retinol binding protein-4 significantly decreased (all p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the levels of other lipids, apolipoproteins, and other parameters did not change.
Conclusions: One-month supplementation with APL obviously improved the glycemic control and parameters of renal function in adults with T2DM. Our findings suggested that a potential role for APL in the prevention and treatment of T2DM.