Diabetes affects one in eleven adults globally, with rising cases in the past 30 years. Type 1 and type 2 cause blood sugar problems, increasing cardiovascular risks. Dietary control, including chickpeas, is suggested but needs more research. Comprehensive searches were conducted across multiple databases for the randomized controlled trial efficacy of chickpea consumption to lower blood sugar levels to a healthy range, with data extraction and risk of bias assessment performed independently by two researchers. Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4, expressing continuous data as mean differences and risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals, and a summary of the findings is provided considering the variations in study characteristics. A total of 118 articles were initially identified from seven databases, primarily from Anglo–American countries, resulting in 12 selected studies after the identification and screening processes. These studies involved 182 participants, focusing on healthy or normoglycemic adults, and assessed the effects of chickpeas compared to various foods such as wheat, potatoes, pasta, sauce, cheese, rice, and corn. A meta-analysis involving a subset of studies demonstrated that chickpeas were more effective in reducing blood glucose iAUC compared to potatoes and wheat. Chickpeas offer the potential for blood sugar control through low starch digestibility, high fiber, protein, and hormonal effects. Although insulin benefits are seen, statistical significance varies, supporting their role in diabetic diets focusing on nutrient-rich foods over processed carbs.

Time-restricted eating (TRE), a dietary strategy that aligns food intake with circadian rhythms, has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological approach for improving glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effects of TRE on glycemic outcomes by analyzing eight randomized controlled trials involving 312 participants with type 2 diabetes or impaired fasting glucose. Meta-analyses of six eligible studies demonstrated that TRE significantly reduced fasting glucose (mean difference [MD]: −0.74 mmol/L; 95% CI: −1.13 to −0.36) and glycated hemoglobin (ΔHbA1c) (MD: −0.11%; 95% CI: −0.15 to −0.07) and increased time in range (TIR) for blood glucose (MD: +10.51%; 95% CI: 6.81 to 14.21). Improvements in fasting glucose and HbA1c were modest but consistent, while the increase in TIR showed no between-study heterogeneity, suggesting a robust and reproducible benefit of TRE on glycemic stability. These findings support the clinical feasibility and effectiveness of TRE as a dietary intervention in diabetes management. However, further high-quality trials with standardized protocols and longer follow-up are needed to confirm long-term efficacy and inform guidelines.

Chili peppers are one of the most widely consumed spices worldwide. However, research on the health benefits of chili peppers and some of its constituents has raised controversy as to whether chili pepper compounds possess cancer-promoting or cancer-preventive effects. While ample studies have been carried out to examine the effect of capsaicin in carcinogenesis, the chemopreventive effect of other major components in chili pepper, including dihydrocapsaicin, capsiate, and capsanthin, is relatively unclear. Herein, we investigated the inhibitory effect of chili pepper components on malignant cell transformation. Among the tested chili pepper compounds, dihydrocapsaicin displayed the strongest inhibitory activity against epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced neoplastic transformation. Dihydrocapsaicin specifically suppressed EGF-induced phosphorylations of the p70S6K1-S6 pathway and the expression of c-Fos. A reduction in c-Fos levels by dihydrocapsaicin led to a concomitant downregulation of AP-1 activation. Further analysis of the molecular mechanism responsible for the dihydrocapsaicin-mediated decrease in phospho-p70S6K1, revealed that dihydrocapsaicin can block amino acid-dependent mechanistic targets of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1)-p70S6K1-S6 signal activation. Additionally, dihydrocapsaicin was able to selectively augment amino acid deprivation-induced cell death in mTORC1-hyperactive cells. Collectively, dihydrocapsaicin exerted chemopreventive effects through inhibiting amino acid signaling and c-Fos pathways and, thus, might be a promising cancer preventive natural agent.

Much research on Korean medicine has been recently published in Korea. The aim of this study was to determine the research trends in Korean medicine by performing a comprehensive analysis of articles that have been published in Korea using temporal and network analysis methods. A total of 29,876 articles from 1963 to 2018 were prepared from OASIS (Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System), the largest portal for Korean medicine. After the keywords and years were extracted from the metadata of the articles, an annual frequency matrix was obtained for the keywords. By using the matrix, the temporal trends of the keywords were analyzed by comparing the changes in similarity between the lists of keywords by year. Moreover, to analyze the relationship among research topics, a clustered network was constructed in which a node was a keyword and an edge was a similarity between two keywords. The temporal trend of the keywords was classified into six chronological phases. The appearance frequency of most keywords tended to increase gradually, but only the keywords “mibyeong,” “systems biology” and “korean medicine hospital” appeared in the most recent phase. The network of keywords was clustered and visualized into thirteen groups with the Gephi software. The main keywords in each group were related to effects such as “anti-inflammation” and “antioxidant,” to diseases such as “allergic rhinitis” and “diabetes” and to therapies such as “herbal acupuncture” and “herbal formula.” The analysis of the trends determined in this study provides a systematic understanding as well as future research directions in Korean medicine to researchers. In the future, an overall analysis of the research trends in Korean medicine will be done by analyzing articles published in Korea and other countries.

Junyeop Oh, Anna Kim, Jongran Lee, Yongtaek Oh. Korean J Acupunct 2022;39:117-25. https://doi.org/10.14406/acu.2022.018

Eun-Byul Cho, Jae-Chang Lee, Eun-Jung Kim, Hak-Jun Jo, Seon-Kyoung Kim, Yong-Taek Oh, Ji-Seong Hong, Son-Hwan Choi, Soo-Bo Shim. J Pharmacopuncture 2025;28:201-10. https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2025.28.3.201