The hypoglycemic activity of buckwheat and the underlying mechanisms: A mechanistic review

Abstract

Buckwheat belongs to the group of pseudocereals with two main species, common buckwheat (F. esculentum Moench) and Tartary buckwheat (F. tataricum L.). Consumption of buckwheat, especially Tartary buckwheat, exhibits excellent health benefits due to its rich content of various functional components. Numerous studies have demonstrated that long-term consumption of buckwheat and buckwheat-derived products could significantly improve hyperglycemia, a typical feature of diabetes. Presently, we performed a mechanistic review to focus on the hypoglycemic activity of small molecular active ingredients in buckwheat and further summarize the potential molecular mechanisms. Buckwheat is rich in multitudinous small molecule active compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, inositol, carotenoids, etc, which play an important role in hypoglycemic activity via different mechanisms, including inhibition of carbohydrate digestive enzymes, improvement of insulin resistance, alleviation of oxidative stress, and anti-inflammatory activity. This review is expected to provide more details of the hypoglycemic activity of buckwheat and further promote the development of buckwheat functional foods.