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Sage has been shown to lower blood sugar levels as effectively as medication and boost memory in as little as two weeks. The findings are encouraging as diabetes and brain decline are uncomfortable bedfellows.
Research has found a strong correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and high blood sugar levels, for example.
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Sage — an aromatic herb of the mint family — has been used as a natural remedy throughout history. More recently, scientists have tested whether there's any substance to these claims — and the results are encouraging.
Sage activates a specific receptor that boosts insulin sensitivity, research suggests
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One study in mice, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that sage tea acts like metformin — a drug prescribed to manage blood sugar in people with the same disease.
In another animal study, sage leaf extract has been shown to lower blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity in mice with a similar effect as rosiglitazone, another anti-diabetes drug.
Human research is limited, but one meta-analysis of three trials found that sage significantly reduced fasting blood sugar and average blood sugar levels over two to three months.
What explains this effect?
One study, published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, found sage extract reduced blood glucose levels in rats with type 1 diabetes by activating a specific receptor.
When this receptor is activated, it can help clear excess free fatty acids in the blood, which in turn improves insulin sensitivity.
Brain food
Sage can also boost brain power, research suggests.
A randomised controlled clinical trial, published in the journal Nutrients, found that healthy people who took 600 mg of a proprietary sage extract daily for two weeks showed significant improvements in working memory, when compared to a placebo.
A separate study, published in Physiology and Behavior, found low loses of sage extract improved the memory of healthy adults.
Higher doses also elevated mood and increased alertness, calmness and contentedness.
Low loses of sage extract improved the memory of healthy adults
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Furthermore, sage has also been shown to lower high cholesterol, which often goes hand in hand with diabetes.
In one study, consuming sage tea twice daily lowered “bad” LDL cholesterol and total blood cholesterol while raising “good” HDL cholesterol after just two weeks.
Symptoms to spot
Many people have type 2 diabetes without realising. This is because they may not always notice any symptoms.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes can include:
- Peeing more than usual
- Feeling thirsty all the time
- Feeling very tired
- Losing weight without trying to
- Itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
- Cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
- Blurred vision
