Men with type 2 diabetes may be aware that certain foods can help control their blood sugar levels. But while white and yellow corn isn’t known for its ability to help diabetics, new research suggests that the chemicals in purple corn might. That’s because the new study found that the pigment chemicals appear to reduce inflammation and insulin resistance in mouse cell models.
Why the researchers grew corn
A team from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as researchers from Zhejiang University and Northeast Agricultural University, collaborated on the diabetes study, which was published in the journal Food Chemistry.
For four years, the team grew 20 new varieties of corn, each derived from Apache red maize. Using water, they were able to extract the compounds from the pericarp (the outside layer of the kernels) and tested the potency of each strain. Due to the fact that each type of extract had its own pigments to create a maroon hue, the scientists wanted to try each kind’s impact on diabetes. Specifically, the researchers wanted to see how each type of extract affected inflammation, obesity and insulin resistance.
The effects of the extracts on diabetes
Using mouse cell models for obesity and inflammation, the researchers exposed the immune cells to the extracts. The results showed a decrease in pro-inflammatory molecules and a reduction in the conversion of precursor cells into mature fat cells.
Next, the team tested their extracts on fat cells that they had forced to develop insulin resistance. They found that the glucose uptake increased (in a spectrum of degrees), which shows a reduction in insulin resistance.
Another benefit for diabetes
The extracts also inhibited the enzyme Alpha-amylase, which helps break down complex carbs into simple sugars. In addition, the extracts inhibited the enzyme DPP-4, which activated hormones that control insulin secretion. People with type 2 diabetes are sometimes given DPP-4 inhibitors, though it’s a new class of drug.
