Oxidative stress in diabetes, a common metabolic disorder, damages organs, including the β-cells of the islets of Langerhans. In an ancient, traditional system of medicine, Asphaltum panjabinum (shilajit) (1) has been reported to possess an adaptogenic activity (2) (a rasayan), which reverts a pathological state to a physiological one with increased nonspecific resistance.
The present study was conducted in 61 diabetic subjects of either sex, aged 31–70 years, who were on unchanged dosages of glibenclamide and served as their own control subjects. Shilajit was administered as two capsules (500 mg each; Dabir India) twice daily for 30 days.
Treatment with shilajit exhibited a significant decrease in values of malondialdehyde (6.52 ± 1.68 nmol/ml plasma) compared with their higher pretreatment values (15.56 ± 5.40 nmol/ml plasma), whereas values of catalase in diabetic subjects (2,814.22 ± 737.49 μmol/ml hemolysate) were significantly increased after treatment with shilajit (3,151.68 ± 158.41 μmol/ml hemolysate). However, values of superoxide dismutase (SOD) (8.55 ± 4.48 μmol/l hemolysate) and glutathione peroxidase (3.29 ± 1.02 μmol/ml hemolysate) in diabetic subjects were reduced after shilajit treatment (5.57 ± 3.26 μmol/l and 1.71 ± 0.28 μmol/ml hemolysate, respectively).
Shilajit has been reported to be a panacea for variety of diseases in Asian medicine (3). In humans, there is limited evidence concerning the role of free radicals and antioxidants in diabetes (4). This is the first clinical study with shilajit to show its effect on antioxidant activity in diabetic subjects. These observations are supported by in vitro (5) and liver homogenate (6) experimental models (in animals).
It appears that shilajit, being an adaptogen, reverses this process by resetting defective electron transport chain reactions. Thus, it decreases the increased turnover of superoxide anion, as is reflected by the decreased demand of SOD. Upregulation of catalase activity in the initial phases perhaps obviates the need for antioxidant enzymes in later steps.
Overall, shilajit results in the reduction of lipids per oxidation. Thus, processed shilajit may be of value as a dietary supplement for modulating diabetes status, as well as for the prevention of diabetes complications, which is a real challenge for the present-day diabetologist.
