Olive Leaf for People with Diabetes

Scientific and practical experience has shown that taking olive leaves may help prevent or delay diabetes and lower blood sugar by returning blood glucose to normal levels and limiting the damage caused by the blood sugar spikes that people with diabetes experience. Reduced insulin sensitivity and a reduced pancreatic response are important factors in the development of type 2 diabetes.

This is shown by blood sugar test results, which revealed a marked fall in blood sugar after taking olive leaves or an olive leaf decoction, comparable to, and sometimes greater than, the fall produced by insulin injections. This is attributed to several mechanisms: olive leaves slow the conversion of starches into simple sugars, slow the absorption of sugars in the gut and increase the uptake of glucose from the blood by the tissues. They also raise levels of natural antioxidants and protect tissues from oxidative damage, including the damage that occurs when tissues bind with glucose.

For this reason, regularly taking olive leaves and their decoction may be a natural alternative treatment for people with diabetes, with regular blood sugar checks three to four hours after drinking the olive leaf drink, and a diet that completely avoids simple sugars and refined sugar such as table sugar, replacing them with limited amounts of starches.

However, people with diabetes must consult their specialist doctor before using olive leaf as a treatment, and should avoid taking olive leaves at the same time as insulin injections or diabetes medicines, to prevent a severe drop in blood sugar and many complications.