Apple and kale extract and blood sugar in mice
What it found
An apple and kale extract lowered blood sugar and slowed sugar uptake in mice fed a high-sugar, high-fat diet.
It also blocked sugar-digesting enzymes in lab tests.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Blood sugar in mice
Mice eating the high-sugar, high-fat diet with the apple and kale extract had lower blood sugar levels than those without it. Their blood sugar also rose less after being given a dose of sugar.
Sugar uptake in gut tissue
In pieces of mouse intestine tested outside the body, the extract significantly reduced the amount of sugar taken up by the tissue.
Enzyme blocking in lab dishes
In lab dish tests, the extract significantly blocked the activity of alpha-glucosidase, an enzyme that breaks down sugars.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude the extract works in two ways: by blocking a sugar-digesting enzyme and by slowing sugar uptake in the gut.
- The authors suggest this plant mixture could be used as a natural dietary approach to help prevent type 2 diabetes.
How it was done
Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common, and scientists are looking for food-based ways to help prevent it.
Mice were fed either a normal diet, a high-sugar and high-fat Western diet, or that same Western diet plus an apple and kale extract for 10 weeks. The researchers tracked body weight, food intake, body makeup, and blood sugar. They also tested how the extract affected sugar uptake in pieces of gut tissue and its effect on sugar-digesting enzymes in lab dishes.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These results come from mice, so they cannot show what happens in people who eat kale or apple products.
- The study used a concentrated extract rather than whole foods, so eating regular apples or kale may not have the same effects.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Kiel, Germany
The paper
- Title
- Antidiabetic Properties of an Apple/Kale Extract In Vitro, In Situ, and in Mice Fed a Western-Type Diet
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Schloesser A, Esatbeyoglu T, Schultheiß G, et al (2017). Antidiabetic Properties of an Apple/Kale Extract In Vitro, In Situ, and in Mice Fed a Western-Type Diet. Journal of medicinal food. doi:10.1089/jmf.2017.0019PubMed 28622482DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error