Investigation of the Influence of a Bitter Melon Product on Indicators of Cardiometabolic Health in Adults with Prediabetes

• Published in: Journal of the American Nutrition Association p. 1
• Main Authors: Guarneiri, Liana L, Wilcox, Meredith L, Kuan, Chen-Meng, Maki, Kevin C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 13.11.2024
• Subjects: medicinal plant; bitter gourd; Glucose; HbA1c; Momordica charantia L
• DOI: 10.1080/27697061.2024.2428301

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of bitter melon extract supplementation on glycemia in individuals with prediabetes. This was a 12-week randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled study where 75 adults with prediabetes were randomly allocated into the low-dose bitter melon (300 mg/day) (  = 26), high-dose bitter melon (600 mg/day) (  = 24), or control (  = 25) groups. At baseline and weeks 6 and 12, anthropometrics were measured, and fasting blood samples were obtained. The high-dose (1.05% ± 10.2%) and low-dose bitter melon (3.35% ± 13.2%) groups showed smaller increases in blood glucose levels at 12 wk, compared to the control group (11.0% ± 16.3%) (  < 0.05). A subgroup analysis of participants with age ≥ the median demonstrated a greater reduction in glycated hemoglobin at 12 wk in the high-dose bitter melon group (median change: -0.20%; IQRL: -0.20%, -0.05%) vs. the control group (median change: 0.00%; IQRL: -0.10%, 0.20%) (  = 0.017). Compliance with the interventions was >95%, and the study products were tolerated well. The bitter melon extract may help maintain a healthy level of glucose in adults with prediabetes.