12.0 Anti-Diabetic Properties

Anti-diabetic properties of Annona spp. appear to be related to stimulation of insulin production and enhanced uptake of glucose by muscles leading to stabilisation of blood sugar concentrations (Gupta et al., 2005a).  Studies in rabbit showed that 5 g of semi-dried pulp of sugar apple per kg of body weight was effective as an anti-diabetic treatment (Figure 7).  

Assuming that bioavailability in rats is similar to humans, for an 80 kg human, this would be equivalent to eating a 40 g (or about 10 g dried) of fresh pulp (about an eight of a normal size custard apple fruit) per day.

Leaf extracts are also effective in lowering blood glucose levels and several reports indicates that Annona squamosa leaf extract can substitute effectively for externally administered insulin (Gupta et al., 2005b; Kaleem et al., 2006; Rabintossaporn et al., 2009).  



Figure 7. Effects of feeding sugar apple (Annona squamosa) pulp (2.5 to 10g/kg) for 1 month on urine sugar levels in diabetic rabbits (Gupta et al., 2005a). AS = Annona squamosa.