A natural compound in purple corn has been found to contain potent beneficial properties that could one day be refined for use in new treatments for type 2 diabetes and kidney disease.
Scientists from Hallym University in Korea have determined purple corn – a relative of blue corn grown in Peru and Chile – is rich in anthocyanins (also known as flavonoids) believed to have anti-diabetic properties.
The findings indicate purple corn anthocyanins block the biological processes that lead to the development of diabetic nephropathy – a serious complication related to diabetes that often leads to end-stage kidney disease.
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The study, published online in the American Journal of Physiology, involved laboratory tests of the effects of anthocyanins on human cells and mouse kidney tissues led by researcher Min-Kyung Kang.
The results showed anthocyanins block two of the primary contributing factors to diabetic nephropathy, suggesting supplements containing the flavonoids may one day “be an important strategy in preventing renal vascular disease in type 2 diabetes.”