Can drinking tea made with bitter melon "make diabetes disappear" because of some specific substances it contains? No, that's not true: While the tropical vine has been linked to lowering blood sugar, it cannot cure diabetes. There is currently no permanent cure for diabetes but approved treatments help manage the condition.
The claim originated from a TikTok video (archived here) published on September 25, 2024. It opened, as translated from Korean to English by Lead Stories staff:
If you drink a glass of this on an empty stomach in the morning, diabetes will disappear. Bitter melon, also called 'edible insulin,' has long been known and famous for being a good food for managing blood sugar levels. Charantin, the natural insulin in bitter melon, and polypeptide components are abundant in the fruit and seeds of bitter melon. According to the Rural Development Administration data, bitter melon contains various substances that effectively prevent diabetes. Among them, charantin and polypeptide, compounds similar to insulin, have excellent anti-diabetic effects. To consume bitter melon most effectively, it's recommended to lightly roast it and drink it as tea. The beneficial compounds that help regulate blood sugar in bitter melon are a mix of fat-soluble and water-soluble substances, so if you lightly roast bitter melon and brew it into tea, you can consume all of the compounds without leaving anything behind.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Oct 8 01:38:01 2024 UTC)
Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is a vine mainly cultivated in Southeast Asia and has been used in many regions for a long time as a medicinal herb (archived here). According to the Korean Rural Development Administration data, the video's claim of bitter melon containing various substances that effectively prevent diabetes comes from a study (archived here) that examined the effects of bitter melon alcohol extract on rats. The study showed a 25 percent reduction in blood sugar levels in rats after administering domestically produced bitter melon extract.
Bitter melon has been used to lower blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes, as four small clinical trials (archived here) found it to have a moderate effect. However, the study also noted that although bitter melon may have hypoglycemic (archived here) effects, there is insufficient data to recommend it to patients without supervision and monitoring.
One study (archived here) stated that in silico (computer simulation) and in vivo studies on bitter melon confirmed that charantin was one of the anti-diabetic properties of bitter melon. In a 12-week randomized clinical study (archived here) on Korean prediabetic participants, aside from charantin, polypeptide-p, vicine, and momordin analogs, other substances were also found in bitter melon that were linked to blood sugar regulation.
Lead Stories contacted registered dietician Diana Mesa, a diabetes specialist from the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES). In an interview conducted by email on October 4, 2024, Mesa noted that while a body of research has shown bitter melon may lower blood sugar when consumed, many of those studies have been short-term and conducted on animals and have not definitively shown that bitter melon cures diabetes. According to Mesa:
Several studies show that compounds such as charantin, polypeptide-p, and other plant compounds found in the plant can enhance glucose uptake in cells, which means that they can help blood sugar get into the cell, similarly to insulin. However, more information is needed to better understand exactly how it impacts humans and which compounds do what.
Mara Fiorio, registered dietician and certified diabetes educator, as listed in her LinkedIn profile, another diabetes specialist from ADCES (archived here), confirmed to Lead Stories bitter melon cannot definitively cure diabetes and also noted it was not an FDA-approved treatment. Fiorio wrote in an email to Lead Stories on October 4, 2024:
Bitter melon cannot definitively 'cure' diabetes, though it has been linked to lowering blood sugar due to properties that mimic insulin, helping transport glucose into cells for energy. Research suggests that bitter melon may help cells use glucose more efficiently potentially aiding in blood sugar management. However, despite these effects, bitter melon is not an FDA-approved treatment for diabetes or prediabetes. Studies, such as one from the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, found that while bitter melon reduced fructosamine levels in participants with type 2 diabetes, it was less effective than a conventional diabetes medication. A Cochrane Database review also called for further research to evaluate its therapeutic use. Therefore, while bitter melon may be consumed as part of a healthy diet, it should not be relied upon as a primary treatment for diabetes management due to insufficient evidence and potential risks.
There is currently no permanent cure for diabetes (archived here), but there are therapies and lifestyles that can help manage (archived here) the condition.
