Antioxidant Treatment Could Cure Metabolic Syndrome, Diabetes

The free radicals - molecules that contribute to disease - associated with diabetes and metabolic syndrome could be tamed with a particular antioxidant treatment, according to a new study.

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University found that antioxidant MitoQ helped to prevent high blood cholesterol and fat build-up often associated with metabolic syndrome. In the study, animals were given doses of MitoQ, a drug-based formula of the antioxidant, for 14 weeks.

MitoQ also appeared to help reduce overall oxidative stress and lower blood sugar in the animals.

If effective on humans, the supplement could be a viable option for patients with high cholesterol or other symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

'Significant potential'

According to MitoQ's website, the supplement has "significant potential" to reduce free radical damage, repair DNA and even slow the aging process.

In metabolic syndrome - which is a cluster of symptoms that can often lead to full-blow diabetes - free radicals are produced faster than they can be removed by the body, which leads to the development of disease.

"These findings strengthen the growing view that elevated mitochondrial [oxidative stress] contributes to the etiology of the metabolic syndrome and suggest a potential therapeutic role for mitochondria-targeted antioxidants," the authors wrote.

The study is published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

Source: Diabetes News Journal

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