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| Photo: Weatherbird2003, Flickr |
Kudzu, the hardy weed that blankets more than 8 million acres of the South, may have some redeeming qualities after all.
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham last week published a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showing kudzu reduces hypertension and regulates glucose metabolism in rats. If their findings hold true for people, the vine long considered one of the South's most aggravating curses could help combat the region's latest scourge: obesity-related health problems.
"We've been very concerned by the percentage of individuals who are developing Type II diabetes very early in life," says professor and study author J. Michael Wyss, explaining the rationale behind the research.
Wyss says rats who ingested a small amount of kudzu extract, accounting for less than one percent of their diets, had lower lipid levels and less glucose in their blood. The researchers are now repeating the experiment on mice, with human subjects up next.
Finding a use for kudzu could help create a market for one of the South's easiest-to-grow plants.
"It's gaining ground," Wyss notes.
Kudzu root pills and powders are already popular in China, where they're prescribed for alcohol abuse. Harvard researchers have shown chemicals in kudzu could help alcoholics control their drinking, although scientists still haven't found any basis for claims that kudzu alleviates hot flashes.
"It still doesn't shut down menopausal symptoms," Wyss sighs. "If it did that, I'd be rich."
To read more about diabetes, visit AOL Health.
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