New spice for diabetes

According to experts at an American university, a type of spice commonly used in West African cuisine could have a serious role to play in lowering blood glucose levels amongst people with diabetes .
Aframomum Melegueta, one species of the ginger family that is common in West African, is used in cooking to add a distinctive, peppery taste. The spice is well known in African medical folklore for its ability to aid digestion, but this is the first study that indicates the spice could also be a powerful diabetes treatment .
Experts at Rutgers University in New Jersey have tested the spice amongst diabetic mice, and found that it lowers blood glucose . The spice could have a role to play in preventing diabetes onset. The team suggested ways in which the spice could be marketed as a diabetes supplement or food additive.
At this stage, the efficiency of the spice in humans remains to be seen.