Common Vegetable May Help Treat Diabetes

Eating carrots could help treat or prevent type 2 diabetes through the vegetables effects on blood sugar regulation and gut health. This is according to new research from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), which tested the effects of carrots on diabetic mice. "Carrots improve the gut microflora by producing bacteria that increase the production of short-chain fatty acids," study author Professor Lars Porskjær Christensen, a chemist from SDU, told Newsweek. He explained that these short-chain fatty acids were formed when bacteria in the gut broke down fiber from food. They help regulate blood sugar levels, improve gut health, support the immune system and maybe even promote the release of GLP-1: the hormone that weight-loss and diabetes drugs such as Ozempic aim to mimic. Christensen added that carrots also contain bioactive compounds—natural substances that have an effect on the body—called falcarinol and falcarindiol, "that help cells to absorb sugar and improve the function of insulin" and "have an effect on inflammation"—all of which is important for diabetes. The scientists concluded that carrots could be a natural way to complement existing diabetes treatments; so diabetic people could eat carrots while taking prescribed medication, such as insulin or metformin, to further improve their health.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 11.6 percent of American adults have diabetes and 1 in 3 have prediabetes, otherwise known as metabolic disease. "We hope that the public will start to include more vegetables in their diets, including carrots, because vegetables in general prevent the development of lifestyle diseases including type 2 diabetes," said Christensen. To come to these conclusions, the Danish scientists experimented on 54 mice with type 2 diabetes, placed on high-fat diets to mimic unhealthy eating patterns. Over 16 weeks, one group of mice were fed this diet with freeze-dried carrot powder and the other group received a calorically equivalent diet without the carrot. At the end of the study period, the mice were fed sugar and the scientists measured how their bodies reacted, noting that those who had eaten carrot powder were better able to control their blood sugar levels than those who had not. These mice also had more bacteria in their guts that produced beneficial short-chain fatty acids, indicating better gut health. "Our study showed that carrots altered the composition of the gut microbiome—the billions of microorganisms living in the gut that play a crucial role in digestion and health," said Associate Professor Morten Kobæk Larsen, the study's project coordinator, in a statement. "Mice consuming carrots exhibited a healthier balance of gut bacteria. "Everything we eat affects the composition of gut bacteria. Consuming carrots shifts the gut bacteria towards a healthier balance, benefiting mice with type 2 diabetes." Other vegetables in the carrot family also contain bioactive compounds that could have similarly beneficial effects, such as parsley, celery and parsnips. Particular varieties of carrots contain higher levels of bioactive substances, such as some types of purple carrot, and carrots that are raw or have only been lightly cooked may have a stronger beneficial effect. "The first step was to demonstrate the effect of carrots on type 2 diabetes in rodents because it is much cheaper to form this type of preclinical trial compared to a trial in humans," said Christensen. "The next step is to find funding for doing studies in humans with carrots." This study was funded by the Odense University Hospital Research Fund and published in December 2024 in scientific journal Clinical and Translational Science. Do you have a tip on a food story that Newsweek should be covering? Is there a nutrition concern that's worrying you? Let us know via science@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.

Reference

Kobaek-Larsen, M., Maschek, S., Hansborg Kolstrup, S., Højlung, K., Nielsen, D. S., Hansen, A. K., Christensen, L. P. (2024). Effect of carrot intake on glucose tolerance, microbiota, and gene expression in a type 2 diabetes mouse model, Clinical and Translational Science, 17(12): e70090. https://doi.org/10.1111/cts.70090