Quercetin Dampens Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Challenged with Carbohydrates Load

Postprandial hyperglycemia is a major risk factor for diabetic complications leading to disabilities and mortality in diabetics. Quercetin, a flavonoid, has been tried in traditional medicine for treating many disorders including diabetes. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential of quercetin to damp postprandial blood glucose level after maltose and glucose loading in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). In a randomized, blinded crossover study, single oral dose (400mg) of quercetin or placebo formula was administered to the patients 30 min before loading with either maltose (2g/kg) or glucose (100g), blood samples are taken at different intervals for measurement of plasma glucose. The results clearly showed ameliorated postprandial hyperglycemia due to the use of quercetin, it significantly dampened the postprandial hyperglycemia only after maltose loading compared to placebo; no effect reported for quercetin after glucose loading. In conclusion, quercetin effectively suppresses postprandial hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 DM loaded with maltose, which may be attributed to α-glucosidase inhibition.