A new project, funded by the Diabetes Australia Research Program, is looking at how some traditional Australian plants may help people manage type 2 diabetes.

Dr Susan Semple, Senior Research Fellow at the University of South Australia has been working with the Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation in Cape York for a long time.

“We have been sharing traditional and Western perspectives on how native plants can contribute to health and wellbeing. The corporation were interested in understanding the health benefits of these foods from a Western science perspective. The project has been driven by the Aboriginal community,” Dr Semple said.

She says while the University of South Australia has funded some previous work in this area, the Diabetes Australia Research Program grant means her team can spend a year investigating the properties of a range of native plants.

Dr Semple says other research into bush foods has focused on fibre or vitamin C, but she will be looking at other components to see if there are extra health benefits.

Some of these components may have an important role in managing type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes, both of which are major issues for First Nations people, who are almost four times more likely than other Australians to develop these conditions.

Dr Semple’s team is studying a variety of native fruits, leaves, water lilies and palms. They are investigating whether some of the plant components can moderate the effects of sugar-digesting enzymes in the gut, so that people with type 2 diabetes don’t get a rapid rise in blood glucose levels after eating.

“We’re also looking at how some plants can improve the body’s response to insulin, which will help with insulin resistance and pre-diabetes,” she says.

Her team are also studying proteins that change when they are exposed to high levels of sugar.

“These modified proteins accumulate in the body and can cause all sorts of damage. They are responsible for some of the long-term effects of diabetes – some of the effects on blood vessels and eyes and even inflammation in the mouth. So, we’re looking to see whether some of the plants can reduce the effects of these inflammatory components.”

Another important aspect of the project is gaining a better understanding of the best times to harvest plants. Dr Semple says the collaboration with the Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation is crucial.

“We have to have projects that are driven by the communities themselves, that address the health issues the communities want addressed.”

At the end of the year-long project, Dr Semple hopes to understand the potential role some of these plants could play in combating diabetes. In the long term, she wants a better understanding of these

plants’ effects on the body and eventually be able to demonstrate their benefits on people with diabetes.

“I also hope there will be greater recognition of the role that culturally important plants can play in Aboriginal health,” Dr Semple says.

She wants to eventually expand the work with other Aboriginal organisations and projects that foster connections to Aboriginal culture.

“Creating that cultural connection can generate massive improvements to diet, wellbeing and diabetes outcomes. Connection to culture can be an important aspect of health.”