title: American ginseng improves glycemia in individuals with normal glucose tolerance: effect of dose and time escalation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We studied the effect of escalating the dose and administration time of American ginseng (AG, Panax quinquefolius L.) in nondiabetic individuals to achieve further improvements in glucose tolerance seen previously when 3 g of AG was taken 40 minutes before a 25 g glucose challenge.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten nondiabetic individuals (6M:4F; mean +/- STD: age = 41 +/- 13 years, BMI = 24.8 +/- 3.5 kg/m2, FBG = 4.5 +/- 0.1 mmol L(-1)) on 12 separate occasions, randomly received 0 (placebo), 3, 6 or 9 g of ground AG root at 40, 80, or 120 minutes before a 25 g oral glucose challenge. Capillary blood glucose was measured prior to ingestion of AG or placebo capsules and at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 minutes from start of challenge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the placebo, 3, 6 and 9 g of AG reduced (p<0.05) postprandial incremental glucose at 30, 45 and 60 minutes; also, 3 and 9 g of AG did so at 90 minutes. At 60 minutes, 9 g of AG reduced incremental postprandial glucose relative to 3 g of AG (p<0.05). All AG doses reduced (p<0.05) area under the incremental glucose curve (3 g, 26.6%; 6 g, 29.3%; 9 g, 38.5%). AG taken at different times did not have an additional influence on postprandial glycemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In nondiabetic individuals, 3, 6 or 9 g of AG taken 40, 80 or 120 minutes before a glucose challenge similarly improved glucose tolerance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre, St. Michael's Hospital, Ontario, Canada. v.vuksan@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vuksan
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Stavro
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sievenpiper
authors.forename: V Y
authors.initials: VY
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Beljan-Zdravkovic
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Leiter
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Josse
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005894:Panax / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D019518:Postprandial Period; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents