Mulberry, which belongs to the family Moraceae, has been widely used for decades in
Korean traditional medicine as well as in other countries in East Asia. However, studies of mulberry leaf
extract have not been systematically reviewed. Therefore, we assessed the safety and efficacy of mulberry
leaf extract against hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: International and Korean databases were searched for randomized controlled trials published
through July 2015. Studies reporting anti-hyperglycemic effects, lipid-lowering effects, and/or adverse
effects of mulberry leaf extract were included. Assessments of the risk of bias and data extraction were
carried out by two independent reviewers.
Results: Three randomized control trials met the criteria for inclusion, and the quality of included studies
was poor. In three trials, mulberry leaf extract did not significantly decrease blood glucose levels, such as
glycated hemoglobin, fasting glucose levels, or postprandial glucose levels. Two studies showed that
mulberry leaf extract do not have beneficial effects with respect to controlling abnormal lipid profiles
compared to placebo or glibenclamide treatments.
Conclusions: This review revealed that the number of high-quality studies is insufficient to determine
whether mulberry leaf extract is helpful for the management of blood glucose and lipid levels in patients
with type 2 diabetes. Additional well-designed, randomized controlled trials are required to elucidate the
clinical effects of mulberry leaf extract in patients with type 2 diabetes