Abscisic acid: The Missing Hormone for Blood-Sugar Control Presented at the American Diabetes Association
Diabetes affects nearly 30 million children and adults in the United States. More than 230,000 Americans die each year from complications of the disease. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that the total cost of diagnosed diabetes in the U.S. exceeds $176 billion annually. Published studies suggest that when one includes additional costs for gestational diabetes, prediabetes, and undiagnosed diabetes, the total diabetes-related costs in the U.S. exceeds $245 billion annually. Research conducted at NIMML are pioneering new findings on the effects of abscisic acid (ABA) in modulating blood glucose control in healthy humans during the 76th scientific sessions of the ADA.
Diabetic and obese individuals have been found to have suboptimal levels of blood ABA. At the same time, endogenously produced ABA has demonstrated to highly modulate blood sugar. ABA, a missing hormonal link, regulates stress responses in humans and plants. Recent studies show that the outstanding efficacy of natural ABA in controlling glycemia. Even though certain fruits contain large amounts of ABA, the amount available in a normal diet cannot help in maintaining healthy blood glucose levels.
“ABA, a new under-explored human hormone, regulates responses to environmental stress and helps maintain healthy blood glucose levels through a mechanism involving lanthionine synthetase C-like 2 (LANCL2),” says Dr. Josep Bassaganya-Riera, Director of NIMML and MIEP. “Microgram amounts of ABA improve glycemic control in humans. Thus, dietary interventions with ABA in foods or beverages have the potential to help maintain healthy blood glucose levels worldwide.”
ABA products, produced by BTI Nutritionals, will be marketed under PERVIDATM, a brand that will launch a pipeline of natural products for a healthy lifestyle, including blood-sugar control, gut health, energy balance, focus, and boosting the immune system.
PERVIDATM’s signature zero-to-low calorie vitamin water, ABAlanceTM, will contain microgram amounts of ABA for helping to maintain healthy blood glucose levels plus magnesium, high levels of vitamin C, and chromium picolinate which may reduce the risk of insulin resistance, and therefore may possibly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
About ADA New Orleans
More than 15,000 leading physicians, scientists, and health care professionals from around the world convene each year at the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions to unveil cutting-edge research, treatment recommendations and advances toward a cure for diabetes.
About BTI Nutritionals
BTI Nutritionals develops disruptive products for health from Nature’s innovations. BTI’s approach synergistically combines the power of computational modeling with preclinical and clinical experimentation to accelerate the development of new natural products for a healthy lifestyle.
About NIMML
The NIMML Institute is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit public charity foundation focused on a transdisciplinary, team-science approach to precision medicine at the interface of immunology, inflammation, and metabolism. The NIMML Institute team has led numerous large-scale transdisciplinary projects and is dedicated to solving important societal problems by combining the expertise of immunologists, computational biologists, toxicologists, modelers, translational researchers, and molecular biologists. The Institute is headquartered in Blacksburg, VA. For more information, please visit www.nimml.org or contact pio@nimml.org.