Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the way the body metabolizes sugar. It is characterized by a progressive loss of sensitivity to insulin, the pancreatic hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. In the early stages of type 2 diabetes, the body produces more insulin to try to overcome reduced insulin sensitivity; however, in the long run, the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to maintain blood sugar levels, resulting in high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress which, in turn, contributes to many of the complications of type 2 diabetes, such as kidney, nerve, retinal, and vascular damage.
In recent years, I understand that there have been researches conducted on functional nutrition and its bioactive compounds due to their biological properties and beneficial effect in managing type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. (1) However, for consumers to benefit from the important cultural and scientific innovation, the health effects of foods should be identified and communicated. In this regard, food can be considered as functional food if it shows to affect beneficially on one or more target functions in the body, ‘beyond adequate nutritional effects’, but in a way relevant to an improved state of health and well-being. (2)
