Lily Bulbs???A Functional Food for the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

More than 20% of the American population harbor the risk factors defined for metabolic syndrome, a condition that is highly correlated with the development of type-2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. Various botanical extracts have been used in traditional medicines to treat the symptoms of diabetes, and many of these preparations contain saponins. We have isolated an extract from the bulbs of Lilium longiflorum containing saponins and polyphenols that reduced blood glucose and body weight in laboratory mice on a high fat diet. We propose to test our more highly purified extracts and pure compounds in a transgenic type-2 diabetes mouse model (db/db) to determine the active ingredients in the lily bulb extracts. Since bulbs of Lilium sp. are edible, this research could lead to the development of L. longiflorum bulbs, or bulb extracts, as a functional food that may be consumed regularly to prevent the development of metabolic syndrome and the onset of diabetes.