Konjac glucomannan and type 2 diabetes in rats
What it found
In rats with type 2 diabetes, konjac glucomannan lowered blood sugar, insulin and blood fats, and eased damage to the pancreas.
The work was done in animals, not people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Blood sugar and insulin
In the diabetic rats, konjac glucomannan clearly lowered fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1 and glycated serum protein.
Blood fats
The treatment notably reduced total cholesterol, triacylglycerols, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and non-esterified fatty acid in the rats.
Pancreas and fat cells
Antioxidant capacity improved, and pancreatic injury and swelling of fat cells were eased in the treated rats.
Fat metabolism pathways
Using a detailed lab analysis of fats, the researchers found that disturbances in several fat groups, including glycerolipids, fatty acyls, sphingolipids and glycerophospholipids, were lessened by the treatment.
What the authors conclude
“This study provided new insights for investigating the anti-diabetic effects of konjac glucomannan and suggests that konjac glucomannan may be a promising nutraceutical for treating type 2 diabetes.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the study offers new insights into how konjac glucomannan may work against diabetes.
- They suggest konjac glucomannan may be a promising nutraceutical for treating type 2 diabetes.
How it was done
Diabetes and its complications are among the most worrying metabolic diseases worldwide and seriously threaten human health.
Rats with type 2 diabetes, caused by a high-fat diet and streptozocin, were given glucomannan taken from konjac. The researchers then measured blood sugar, insulin and blood fats, and looked at fat metabolism in detail.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These were rats with diabetes caused in the lab. The results cannot show what konjac glucomannan does in people.
- The study does not show whether it would help prevent diabetes, only how it affected rats that already had it.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Nanchang University, People's Republic of China
The paper
- Title
- Hypoglycemic and Hypolipidemic Effects of Glucomannan Extracted from Konjac on Type 2 Diabetic Rats
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Chen H, Nie Q, Hu J, et al (2019). Hypoglycemic and Hypolipidemic Effects of Glucomannan Extracted from Konjac on Type 2 Diabetic Rats. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.9b01192PubMed 30964673DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error