PhytoMedical Plans To Accelerate Development Of New Cinnamon Derived Type-2 Diabetes Compound By Increasing Research Team Tuesday January 10, 9:15 am ET Published study shows certain compounds in cinnamon lower blood sugar levels by an average of 18 to 29 percent and lower LDL (or "bad") cholesterol by 7 to 27 percent -- without side effects
VANCOUVER, B.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2006--PhytoMedical Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:PYTO - News; FWB:ET6), an early stage research based biopharmaceutical company focused on the identification, development, and eventual commercialization of innovative plant derived pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds, today announced its plans to increase its team of collaborating scientists developing a new cinnamon derived compound for type-2 diabetes, one of the leading causes of death and illness worldwide. ADVERTISEMENT "In addition to published in-vitro and animal studies, which have shown the ability of cinnamon and cinnamon extracts to improve glucose metabolism and reverse insulin resistance, we have been encouraged by the progress made thus far by our collaborating scientists," states Mr. Harmel S. Rayat, President and CEO of PhytoMedical Technologies. "PhytoMedical is presently working to synthesize certain insulin enhancing polyphenolic compounds, which, in laboratory tests, have improved insulin function by a factor of 20, and, eventually to characterize their beneficial effects in cell culture systems, animals and ultimately humans."
Mr. Rayat continues, "Based on the results and progress of our early research we believe that we are definitely on the right track. As a result, we plan to double, as soon as possible, the number of scientists working on this important diabetes research, from three full time scientists to six, in order to accelerate our development timeline."
Through a three-way Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service and Iowa State University, PhytoMedical's team of collaborating scientists is working to synthesize several polyphenolic compounds, originally isolated and characterized from cinnamon bark, which increase sugar metabolism by a factor of 20 in test tube assays using fat cells. These new compounds have been found to increase insulin sensitivity by activating key enzymes that stimulate insulin receptors, while inhibiting those enzymes that deactivate them, basically resulting in insulin being more efficiently used by the body.
Further evidence of the efficacy these polyphenolic compounds was presented in a study published in Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association, on 60 people with type-2 diabetes who ingested small amounts of cinnamon daily. This study showed that as little as one gram of cinnamon per day -- one-fourth of a teaspoon twice a day -- can lower blood sugar by an average of 18 to 29 percent, triglycerides (fatty acids in the blood) by 23 to 30 percent, LDL (or "bad") cholesterol by 7 to 27 percent and total cholesterol by 12 to 26 percent. Changes in HDL ("good") cholesterol were not significant. No side effects were observed and, amazingly, the study found that the beneficial effects of cinnamon lasted for at least 20 days after people stopped taking it.
This human study (http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/reprint/26/12/3215), along with other reports on the ability of cinnamon and cinnamon extracts to improve insulin/glucose metabolism and reverse insulin resistance, has been the subject of hundreds of media stories, ranging from Forbes, Time Magazine, New York Daily News and The Boston Globe to New Scientist, the BBC, Parade Magazine, USA Weekend, and Time Magazine's December 6th, 2004, cover story (The Year in Medicine from A to Z), which referenced the benefits of a molecule found in cinnamon which has "insulin-like properties that may help people with Type-2 diabetes
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