Use of herbal supplements in patients with type 2 diabetes and evaluation of outcomes

Authors : Güneş Feyizoğlu, Gülbeyaz Can, Fatma Eti Aslan

Pages : 81-91

View : 37 | Download : 58

Publication Date : 2025-04-17

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Introduction and purpose; The literature reports that patients with diabetes are more likely to use complementary and alternative therapies compared to other patient groups. Evaluation of the use of herbal products by patients is important to prevent side effects during the treatment process. The aim of this study was to determine the use of herbal products by diabetic patients and their feedback about the herbal products used. Materials and methods; This descriptive study was conducted with 447 type 2 diabetes patients between March and December 2022 in the diabetes outpatient clinic of a training and research hospital on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. The use of herbal approaches was assessed in face-to-face interviews using a form prepared by the researchers. Data analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 22 package program (IBM SPSS, Turkey). Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency) were used to analyse the study data, and the one-way ANOVA test was used to compare the mean values of the subgroups. Finding and results; The mean age of the patients was 60.37± 10.79 years, more than half were women (61.74%) and 59.28% were using oral anti-diabetic drug (OAD) + insulin. In a study 74.7% of patients reported not using a herbal approach. Most patients stated that herbal treatment helped them (n=56, 49.5%). These benefits were; balancing blood sugar (n=38, 67.9%), feeling more lively/better/stronger (n=12, 21.4%), helping them lose weight (n=1, 0.8%), reducing appetite (n=4, 7.1%), and protecting against disease (n=1, 1.8%). Cinnamon was the most commonly used herbal supplement, utilized by 47.7% of patients. A total of 45.7% of patients (n=64) reported that they boiled the herbal preparation or soaked it in hot water and consumed it as tea, while 25.7% (n=36) mixed it with yogurt in a bowl, and 16.4% (n=23) consumed it directly. It was found that the use of the herbal approach was not a significant variable for the change in HbA1c, body mass index (BMI)and waist circumference. It was found that herbal approaches, which are often preferred by patients with diabetes, were used in different forms in patients and resulted in no significant change in HbA1c, BMI and waist circumference. Nurses should question and evaluate the use of herbal products in patients with diabetes, provide appropriate counseling, identify high-risk groups and monitor them frequently, update their education and knowledge about diabetes, and properly guide patients in this direction. References; 1. Alzahrani, A.S., Price, M.J., Greenfield, S.M., Paudyal, V., (2021). Global prevalence and types of complementary and alternative medicines use amongst adults with diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 77, 1259-1274 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-021-03097-x 2. Can Çiçek, S., Arikan, F., Can, S., Dalkıran, Ş., Ankaralı., H. (2021). Complementary Therapy Use in with Diabetes Individuals and Information Source. Turkish Journal of Science and Health, 2(1), 92-103. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tfsd/issue/60096/813150 3. Çakmak, S., Nural, N. (2017). Complementary and alternative therapy practices in chronic diseases. Turkey Clinics Journal of Internal Medicine Nursing, 3(2): 57-64. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3425462 4. Çalık, A., (2017). Complementary and alternative therapies used in diabetes treatment: A literature review. Adnan Menderes University Journal of Faculty of Health Sciences, 1(2), 27-32. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/amusbfd/issue/31082/337659#article_cite 5. Kaynak, İ., & Polat, Ü. (2017). The relationship between the use of complementary and alternative therapies and diabetes attitudes of patients with diabetes mellitus. Journal of General Medicine, 27(2), 56-64. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/geneltip/issue/66987/1046861#article_cite
Keywords : Diyabet, bitkisel ürün kullanımı, tamamlayıcı tedaviler