Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 26, 2026 1 hour, 54 minutes ago
Medical News: Diabetes remains a daily struggle for millions of people worldwide, especially those whose blood sugar levels remain high despite taking standard medications. Now, a new real-world study suggests that a traditional plant supplement known as bitter melon could offer additional help when modern drugs alone are not enough.
A traditional plant supplement helps lower blood sugar when modern diabetes drugs are not enough
Study Looks at Real Patients in Everyday Clinical Care
Researchers from the University of Oradea in Romania conducted a detailed clinical observational study involving 155 adults with type 2 diabetes who were already being treated with common oral medications. The research team included experts from the Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences and multiple departments within the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Oradea, as well as clinicians from a private medical clinic in Oradea, Romania.
All participants were first treated with metformin and then given an additional modern drug called dapagliflozin. After six months, some patients still had blood sugar levels that were higher than recommended. These patients were then given a standardized supplement made from Momordica charantia, commonly known as bitter melon, for another three months.
Clear Improvements in Blood Sugar Levels
The results showed a clear difference between patients who took bitter melon and those who did not. In patients who received the supplement, long term blood sugar levels measured by HbA1c dropped steadily and significantly. Average HbA1c levels fell from about 7.8 percent at the start to 6.3 percent after nine months. Fasting blood sugar levels also improved notably, dropping by more than 25 milligrams per deciliter overall.
By comparison, patients who stayed only on the two standard diabetes drugs showed much smaller improvements during the same period. This
Medical News report highlights that nearly nine out of ten patients taking bitter melon reached recommended fasting blood sugar targets, compared to fewer patients in the control group.
Benefits Go Beyond Weight and Blood Pressure
Interestingly, the additional blood sugar improvements were not linked to further weight loss or major changes in blood pressure. Most of the weight and blood pressure benefits occurred earlier with dapagliflozin. This suggests that bitter melon works through different biological pathways, possibly improving how the body uses insulin and absorbs glucose from food.
Researchers noted that bitter melon contains several natural compounds believed to act like insulin, slow carbohydrate absorption in the gut, and reduce harmful oxidative stress that worsens diabetes.
Why These Findings Matter
Many previous studies on plant supplements have produced mixed results. This study stands out because it examined real patients already using modern diabetes treatments. It also carefully tracked blood sugar changes over time, offering st
ronger evidence that bitter melon may provide genuine additional benefits for certain patients.
Important Conclusions and Next Steps
Overall, the findings suggest that bitter melon supplementation may help patients with type 2 diabetes who struggle to reach blood sugar goals despite taking two medications. The improvements were meaningful, consistent, and independent of weight loss or blood pressure changes. However, the researchers caution that this was not a randomized trial, and the supplement was used for only three months. Larger and longer studies are needed to confirm safety, understand long term effects, and determine which patients benefit the most. Until then, bitter melon should be viewed as a possible supportive option rather than a replacement for proven medical treatments.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Nutrients
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/2/309
For the latest on diabetes research, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/diabetes
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/herbs-and-phytochemicals
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