Abstract
The present study deals with the effects of 10 fruits, 27 spices and 14 herbs on α-glucosidase activities for the purpose of developing therapeutic diets for diabetes. The glycemic indices (GI) of fruits and spices were also examined. All fruits were found to inhibit α-glucosidase. Apple and pineapple reduced GI to less than 100 on average, though no statistical siginificances were found. Fourteen raw and 14 cooked spices inhibited α-glucosidase. Cooked spices generally exceeded raw spices in inhibitory effects, and 4 herbs were found to inhibit α-glucosidase. No significant correlation was found between GIs and α-glucosidase-inihibiting ability of fruits. Of the cooked spices, mustard paste and nutmeg reduced GI among the subjects on average though no statistical siginificances were found. Unlike fruits, no significant correlations between GI and inhibiting ability in spices were observed.
