Active Consumption of Konjac and Konjac Products Improves Blood Glucose Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

• Published in: Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2023-02, Vol.ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), p.1-7
• Main Authors: Ueno, Hiroaki, Haraguchi, Naoki, Azuma, Mayumi, Shiiya, Tomomi, Noda, Tomoho, Ebihara, Emi, Uehira, Yudai, Uchida, Taisuke, Sasaba, Keiko, Nakamura, Miyo, Uchimura, Naho, Kita, Emiko, Umemura, Akemi, Nobe, Tomoko, Sumoto, Eri, Yano, Yui, Nakazato, Masamitsu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0731-5724; 2769-7061; 1541-1087; 2769-707X
• DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2021.2002739

Konjac is a food mainly consumed in Asian countries with high fiber and low energy. Although glucomannan, a component of konjac, have been used for several clinical studies, there is few reports using konjac itself. This study examined the effects of the active consumption of konjac in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The study included 26 Japanese patients with T2DM. Participants were recommended to take konjac at least once a day using free konjac products (various noodles, rice, and desserts) and plate konjac for 12 weeks. HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose levels significantly decreased from 8.3 ± 0.9% to 8.0 ± 0.8% and from 173.2 ± 44.4 to 152.8 ± 36.7 mg/dL, respectively. No significant changes were observed in body weight and insulin resistance indices, but the index for insulin secretion significantly increased. Serum high molecular weight adiponectin levels significantly increased. Plasma ghrelin, leptin and glucagon-like peptide-1 levels tended to decrease (p = 0.084), decrease (p = 0.057) and increase (p = 0.071), respectively. Actual konjac intake positively correlated with age (r = 0.61, p = 0.001). Body weight and HbA1c significantly decreased in patients aged ≥50 years than in those aged