VEVEY, Switzerland – Today it is estimated that approximately 7.5% of the world’s adult population has suboptimal metabolic health and is considered to be prediabetic. If not addressed, prediabetes can progress into type-2 diabetes leading to health complications and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Nestlé Health Science has just launched its first prediabetes program in Malaysia. The program comprises a novel food supplement which can be sprinkled over meals as part of a healthy diet to help maintain normal blood glucose after a meal. The accompanying digital platform enables an assessment of diabetes risks and provides tailored recommendations for prediabetes-friendly meal plans.
The food supplement Nutren® GlucoSmart™ contains Reducose®, a Mulberry leaf extract, a natural ingredient known in Asian traditional therapies for lowering blood glucose spikes.
The Mulberry leaf extract was tested by Nestlé Research scientists in a clinical study. “The results from our clinical study demonstrate the maximal efficacy of Reducose® in lowering the glucose response after a carbohydrate complete meal by 30 per cent. Best results were achieved when the product was mixed within the meal rather than when consumed separately just before”, says Christian Darimont, Metabolic Health Expert at Nestlé Research who performed the study. “Hence the importance of having the product in a format that can be sprinkled over a meal”.
The web-based digital platform was created by nutrition scientists and experts at Nestlé. It applies nutritional rules controlling the parameters that are most relevant in prediabetes, such as glycemic load, calorie and sodium intake, to propose recipes from an extensive proprietary recipe hub. These recipes are then algorithmically combined into weekly prediabetes meal plans in line with local guidelines and recommendations for a healthy and balanced diet.
“It is really critical to prevent the onset of the disease, hence our focus on a comprehensive prediabetes program”, says Yu Cheng, Global Head of Metabolic Health at Nestlé Health Science. “The program allows consumers to quickly assess their diabetic risks and then combines nutritional products with tailored recipe recommendations for managing meals and food intake in a more personalized way.”
Maintaining healthy blood glucose levels after meals is central to lower type-2 diabetes risks and promote healthy ageing. Nutritionally balanced solutions based on natural ingredients like Nutren® GlucoSmart™ which efficiently decrease glucose response of a complete meal are still limited on the market today.
