Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) are oral anti-diabetic drugs used for diabetes mellitus type 2 that work by preventing the digestion of carbohydrates (such as starch and table sugar).
[4][5] There are a large number of natural products with alpha-glucosidase inhibitor action[6][7][1] For example, research has shown the culinary mushroom Maitake (Grifola frondosa) has a hypoglycemic effect.
The intake of a single dose before a meal containing complex carbohydrates clearly suppresses the glucose spike and may decrease the postprandial hyperglycemia (higher than 140 mg/dL; >7.8 mmol/L) in patients with type II diabetes.
[1] This ability is observed in the native/raw state of the alpha-amylase inhibitor; therefore, its consumption inside a meal that undergo heating (baking, frying or cooking/boiling) is expected to blunt its property to decrease the activity of carbohydrate digesting enzymes.
[17] It was found that Acarbose appeared to reduce incidence of diabetes mellitus type 2 when compared to placebo, however there was no conclusive evidence that acarbose compare to diet and exercise, metformin, placebo, no intervention improved all-cause mortality, reducer or increased risk of cardiovascular mortality, serious or non-serious adverse events, non-fatal stroke, congestive heart failure, or non-fatal myocardial infarction.
[17] In patients with diabetes mellitus type 1, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors use has not been officially approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the US but some data exists on the effectiveness in this population, showing potential benefits weighted against an increased risk of hypoglycemia.
The benefits of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors on health were shown to be stronger when the powder is consumed orally dissolved in water as a beverage in comparison to its intake as ordinary hard gelatin capsules.