A review on the role of functional foods and derivatives for diabetes management

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global metabolic disorder affecting the quality of life. The continuous usage of hypoglycaemic agents can control diabetic pathogenesis in patient; however it is challenging to minimize the severe side effects and metabolic contraindications. So, it is necessary to find novel drug candidates or dietary derivatives with minimum side effects, and excellent biological efficacy to meet the demands of the growing population. As a metabolic disorder, DM requires a food based therapy for better recovery. Including various functional foods (legumes, spices and whole grains) in optimal quantity in routine diet can prevent the complications associated with DM. Recent research revealed that the functional foods (FFs) combinations can accelerate the recovery time, promote a clinical total effective rate, and minimize endothelial dysfunction and microvascular episodes, associated with diabetic pathogenesis and provides novel possibilities of cost-effective treatment options for DM management. Innovative technology associated with artificial intelligence (AI), imaging techniques, and metabolic engineering tools help to understand the signalling mechanisms associated with DM and reveal sensitive targets for novel drug interactions, further opening a crucial turning point in DM research. In conclusion, the current review summarized the direct intake of FFs or derivatives, such as food protein and bioactive peptides, can be exploited as promising anti-diabetic agents in the near future. AI's influential role in bioactive peptide design and revealing the newer targets of FFs and FF derivatives (FFDs) in signalling are appraised as promising approaches for DM management. The current findings point to the fact that regulated FFs intake along with health care monitoring can control the complications associated with DM.

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