Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is known for fighting cell damage and helping control blood sugar, but it breaks down quickly in the body and doesn’t stay around long enough to be truly effective. Researchers created tiny particles made from zinc oxide that carry vitamin C to solve this problem. They developed these nanoparticles using a natural synthesis method and studied how well they worked in animals with diabetes. The particles were extremely small and stable, measuring about 38 nanometers across. When tested in the lab, they successfully slowed down enzymes involved in digesting sugar. In living animals given these particles by mouth, blood sugar levels improved significantly, along with fat levels and the body’s natural antioxidant defenses—all performing better than plain vitamin C alone.
Remarkably, the nanoparticles also protected brain function, helping animals perform better in memory and movement tests. The researchers found that brain cells stayed healthier and certain damaging enzymes decreased. Overall, this new delivery method appears to make vitamin C work much more effectively for diabetes treatment and could potentially prevent related brain damage. (Source: Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol, via PubMed.)
Source: PubMed — read the full article
