Ever wondered what spices can do other than give curries their distinctive deliciousness? From yellowish brown cinnamon to bitter fenugreek and fragrant ginger, spices common to every Indian kitchen can lend a helping hand to the fight against one of the major scourges of modern living - diabetes.

Researchers scouring through scientific studies on more than a dozen different spices - some they confess are still patchy at best - have come up with results that are so encouraging that modern science would find it difficult to ignore them.

A number of spices that add colour and taste to dishes, particularly those savoured in Asian countries, contain molecules that can help check a spike in blood sugar levels. High blood sugar can damage multiple organs over the years, if left unmanaged. Spices that have a positive effect on blood sugar regulation include turmeric, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander, curry leaves and cloves. Even onion and garlic do their bit.

"Fighting a disease like diabetes calls for more resources in our arsenal. Drugs alone can't do the job," says Christiani Jeyakumar Henry, who heads a centre that specialises in clinical nutrition research at the Singapore Institute of Clinical Sciences in Singapore.

Jeyakumar Henry, lead author of a study scheduled to appear in Food Chemistry, agrees that much more needs to be done before thes

e spices can be drafted into the fight against diabetes. The paper, co-authored by Xinyan Bi and Joseph Lim also of the clinical nutrition research centre, looked at the role spices and herbs could play in helping manage diabetes. Even though there are studies in animals or small groups of humans that explored the molecular mechanisms involved, most of our knowledge about beneficial effects of these spices still come from grandma's wisdom. "There is a need to convert anecdotal wisdom into incontrovertible, evidence-based approaches through rigorous scientific studies, including randomised control trials," Jeyakumar Henry says. As of now, only two spices, cinnamon and fenugreek, seem to have passed muster.

The biochemist, who earned his first degree in food technology from the University of Bombay, before moving to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for his masters and PhD in the late 1970s, points to paradoxes that are evident in India. "No community in the world consumes more spices in food than Indians. But still, India has the unequivocal reputation of being the diabetes capital of the world. This is an irony," he says.

If these spices are indeed effective, why can't people - particularly those in rural areas who cannot afford expensive drugs - be given a choice to tackle diabetes through what they enjoy, he asks.

However, many practising diabetologists and endocrinologists doubt their potential. They argue that complementary and alternative medicinal (CAM) therapies, including herbal supplements and natural products, do not really seem to be effective. On the contrary, many such alternative remedies are found to interfere with allopathic medications, leading to untoward complications, say a team of doctors from clinics and hospitals in southern and western Indian cities, led by Dr Jothydev Kesavadev, a Thiruvananthapuram-based medical practitioner in a recent paper in Advances in Therapy.

"Co-administration of herbal medicines or supplements along with allopathic therapies is a common practice among patients with diabetes. A possibility of drug interactions with these products exists, which can alter the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of the drugs, resulting in potential side effects," the paper argues.

According to them, supplements containing extracts of bitter gourd, fenugreek or cinnamon, if taken together with certain antidiabetic drugs, may lead to many complications, including sudden drop in blood sugar levels, which, at times, can prove fatal.

Jeyakumar Henry agrees that there should be proper studies. Moreover, he doesn't look at these spices as complimentary medicines to modern anti diabetic drugs, he argues. If their potential is established through proper studies, they could be probably used among pre-diabetic people so that the onset of full-blown diabetes can be delayed. "In India, for every diabetic patient, there are three pre-diabetics waiting in the wings. If the onset of diabetes in these can be delayed, say from five to 15 years, there will be immense benefits," Jeyakumar Henry says.

So, is it time to add spice to our life as the adage goes? The jury seems to be still out on that one.

... AND ALL THINGS NICE

Cinnamon: It decreases blood glucose and lipid levels. It stimulates insulin secretion, delays gastric emptying, increases the release of GLP-1 hormone that prompts the pancreatic cells to produce insulin, and improves the production of a protein called GLUT4 which ensures higher intake of glucose by the muscles.

Fenugreek: It increases viscosity in the gastrointestinal tract, which limits the absorption of glucose by the intestine. An active ingredient of fenugreek seeds, called galactomannan soluble fibre, is known to lower the glycaemic index of food consumed.

Ginger: Gingerol, an active compound in ginger, inhibits two critical enzymes that play a role in the digestion of carbohydrates in food. It improves insulin release and sensitivity. It betters the lipid profile as well.

Turmeric: Curcumin, chief ingredient in turmeric, activates an enzyme called AMP kinase, which is a pathway used by popular antidiabetic drug metformin to suppress production of glucose in the liver. It also has a positive effect on the muscles where much of the glucose in the blood is absorbed.

Coriander: Coriander seeds are capable of lowering blood sugar as well as blood lipids and lipoproteins. It also improves the levels of good cholesterol — HDL — in the blood.

Cloves: Limited studies have shown that clove extract could improve the function of insulin and lower glucose, total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides in people with type II diabetes.

Black pepper: At lower concentrations, black pepper ingredient piperine is capable of reducing blood glucose. But higher concentrations of piperine increased blood sugar levels.

Garlic: Its compound allicin has the bio-available potential to reduce blood sugar. Besides, it is seen to alleviate liver and renal damage in diabetes-induced rats.

Curry leaves: They are rich in many minerals and trace elements which are important for activation of pancreatic beta cells, which are responsible for the creation of insulin. Even though the nutrients in curry leaves account for only about one to two per cent of required daily intake, they are bio-available, or readily usable by the body.