FUNCTIONAL FOODS IN MANAGING DIABETES

Abstract

Diabetes, emerging as a pandemic, is a major health problem predisposing to micro and macrovascular  complications. Traditional Indian diets are functional because they are enriched with  antioxidants, dietary fiber and probiotics.The present paper reviews on the scientific information of common Indian foods with anti-diabetic activity, which is used as functional foods and ingredients in the traditional medical system.  It is indeed the time to  give more attention to these functional food ingredients as target medicinal foods in order to prevent or slow down the development of diabetes.