Beyond pharmaceuticals: Integrating Chinese culinary medicine with modern nutritional science for holistic diabetes management

Lim, ECN; Yu, XF; Lim, CED

Beyond pharmaceuticals: Integrating Chinese culinary medicine with modern nutritional science for holistic diabetes management

Lim, ECN Yu, XF Lim, CED

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Publisher:: Elsevier
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences, 2025
Issue Date:: 2025-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Lim, ECN
dc.contributor.author	Yu, XF
dc.contributor.author	Lim, CED
dc.date.accessioned	2026-01-13T23:24:58Z
dc.date.available	2026-01-13T23:24:58Z
dc.date.issued	2025-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences, 2025
dc.identifier.issn	2095-7548
dc.identifier.issn	2095-7548
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/191760
dc.description.abstract	The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in China has increased from <1% in 1980 to 13.7% in 2023, parallel to the adoption of a western-style diet. Chinese medicine (CM) approaches diabetes differently through food therapy, which is more holistic than the reductionist focusing on the bioactive compounds found in modern nutritional science. Herein, we review the CM and modern nutritional approaches to diabetes of five regional Chinese cuisines: Sichuan, Cantonese, Shandong, Hunan, and Jiangsu. A literature review of PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and other medicine-specific databases was conducted, including papers from 2014 to 2024 and foundational CM literature. The inclusion criteria were systematic reviews, clinical trials, population studies, and mechanistic studies of Chinese dietary patterns and diabetes outcomes. In several studies, CM food therapy demonstrated clinical outcomes comparable to those of western dietary interventions, with the added advantage of fewer reported adverse effects. CM food therapy operates through five main mechanisms: glucose transport enhancement, glycogen metabolism improvement, glucagon-like peptide 1 secretion promotion, pancreatic islet protection, and intestinal flora modulation. Regional Chinese cuisine contains many bioactive compounds with established anti-diabetic effects. Sichuan capsaicin enhances insulin sensitivity by activating the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway. The fermented components of Hunan cuisine support gut microbiota; fresh food preparations of Cantonese cuisine are rich in antioxidants; and traditional dietary patterns are more protective against diabetes than westernized dietary patterns. A combined approach of CM and Western medicine offers the best potential for managing diabetes, as the cuisine from each area has distinct therapeutic value. Blending age-old food therapy with contemporary nutrition provides a rational basis for clinical integration.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Elsevier
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.jtcms.2025.08.003
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Beyond pharmaceuticals: Integrating Chinese culinary medicine with modern nutritional science for holistic diabetes management
dc.type	Journal Article
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-01-13T23:24:56Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in China has increased from <1% in 1980 to 13.7% in 2023, parallel to the adoption of a western-style diet. Chinese medicine (CM) approaches diabetes differently through food therapy, which is more holistic than the reductionist focusing on the bioactive compounds found in modern nutritional science. Herein, we review the CM and modern nutritional approaches to diabetes of five regional Chinese cuisines: Sichuan, Cantonese, Shandong, Hunan, and Jiangsu. A literature review of PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and other medicine-specific databases was conducted, including papers from 2014 to 2024 and foundational CM literature. The inclusion criteria were systematic reviews, clinical trials, population studies, and mechanistic studies of Chinese dietary patterns and diabetes outcomes. In several studies, CM food therapy demonstrated clinical outcomes comparable to those of western dietary interventions, with the added advantage of fewer reported adverse effects. CM food therapy operates through five main mechanisms: glucose transport enhancement, glycogen metabolism improvement, glucagon-like peptide 1 secretion promotion, pancreatic islet protection, and intestinal flora modulation. Regional Chinese cuisine contains many bioactive compounds with established anti-diabetic effects. Sichuan capsaicin enhances insulin sensitivity by activating the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway. The fermented components of Hunan cuisine support gut microbiota; fresh food preparations of Cantonese cuisine are rich in antioxidants; and traditional dietary patterns are more protective against diabetes than westernized dietary patterns. A combined approach of CM and Western medicine offers the best potential for managing diabetes, as the cuisine from each area has distinct therapeutic value. Blending age-old food therapy with contemporary nutrition provides a rational basis for clinical integration.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/191760