Can eating 37 strawberries a day lessen diabetes complications: That old advice, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, might be switched around a bit to “a strawberry a day keeps the doctor away.” Keeping the doctor away, yes, but, more importantly, not only the doctor and/or endocrinologist, but also neurologist and possibly the oncologist.

But 37 strawberries work better than one, according to a recent study that was undertaken at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory (CNL), with the results to be published in a June 2011 issue of PLoS ONE. David Schubert, Ph.D., Professor and Head of the CNL, is a co-author of the paper and Pam Maher, Ph.D. a Senior Staff Scientist, is the corresponding author of the paper.

Strawberries contain fisetin. Fisetin is a flavonol. Flavonol is a structurally distinct chemical substance that belongs to the flavonoid group of polyphenols. It is the color in the plants and the fruits of those plants. Grapes, spinach, oranges, blueberries, kale, apples, and so on. News reports have shown us for years that any flavonoid helps fight cancer and has positive effects on other illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s Disease. In other words, like mama told you, eat your fruits and veggies.

In this study conducted by CNL, the study involved the use of Akita mice, a very “robust” mice model of type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes mellitus, which can be treated only with insulin. Mostly affecting young children, this form of diabetes over the passage of years most often leads to severe complications such as blindness, kidney failure, neuropathy, strokes and heart attacks; whereas type 2 diabetes, until recently, was more often diagnosed in the older population and can be treated with oral medication, along with a good diet and having an exercise program in place. Those with type 2 diabetes do develop complications, but they tend to take longer to arise than those complications arising from type 1 diabetes.

These Akita mice showed all the usual effects of Type 1 diabetes, namely increased blood sugar levels, but also “display pathologies seen in serious human complications of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.” In this study, the Akita mice were given supplementation of fisetin. The Akita mice that were fed an enriched diet of fisetin remained diabetic, but kidney enlargement was reversed and high urine protein levels fell. With high urine protein levels, it’s an indication that the kidneys are becoming diseased. As well, fisetin ingestion affected anxiety-related behaviors of the diabetic mice. “A mouse not suffering with anxiety tends to move around when put in a large area, but a mouse suffering from anxiety does not move around. The diabetic mice showed anxiety behavior, but when fed fisetin their movement returned to normal.”

The study also defined a possible molecular mechanism that resulted in these results. Those conducting the study saw that blood and brain levels of “sugars affixed to proteins known as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs)” were reduced in fisetin treated Akita mice as compared to untreated Akita mice. There is evidence that increased AGE levels is implicated in many, if not all, diabetic complications. This study was the first study that indicated that any compound can enhance glyoxalase 1 activity, which fisetin seemed to do on these Akita mice.

It is thought that really high AGE levels might increase cancer risks.

These tests were conducted on mice, and only time will tell if the same results can be manifested in humans, and the possibility that there would be a supplement available to get your fisetin rather than eating those 37 strawberries a day.

In the meantime, think about eating the colors of the rainbow as often as possible, the darker in color the better.