What is Ampalaya?
Commonly called bitter melon or bitter gourd and known scientifically as Momordica charantia, ampalaya is a very popular vegetable in Asia. This vegetable is green, tubular in shape, has a characteristic deep tortuous wrinkles or ruffles all over its skin, and has a distinctively “addicting” bitter taste.
Ampalaya has been known to lower blood sugar to a degree, but not enough to be effective alone as a treatment for diabetes. In spite of this, however, some apparently unscrupulous companies have been marketing ampalaya tea and capsules, etc., and selling them to the unsuspecting public as “food supplements good for diabetics.” This claim is very dangerous and could be deadly for the some diabetics.
There are more than 300,000 Filipinos who suffer from Diabetes Mellitus. In the United States, there are about 16 million diabetics and about 1800 new cases are diagnosed each year.
Circumventing the law
To be within the law, or to navigate within its boundary, these clever firms who want to make big bucks in this multi-billion dollar industry, label their products as “food supplements.” The reason for this is because, for a substance to be approved as a drug, it has to go through a most stringent investigation and meet very strict criteria enforced by the US-FDA or BFAD. It is a lot easier to hide behind the classification “food supplements” and market the various herbals as “good for” certain diseases, like diabetes, heart attack, or even cancer. In general, the claims are medically false, unfounded, and ludicrous, not to mention dangerous to health.
The media blitz of infomercials by the makers of these “food supplements,” which includes anecdotal testimonials of apparently paid “users” (all of which are medically unacceptable, and invalid as reliable scientific data), has resulted in what literally is a massive financial fraud, but one which a segment of the ignorant public takes as gospels of truth.
Modern therapy is safest
Today, thanks to advances in modern therapeutics and technology, there are proven, effective and safe treatment regimens for diabetes. This evidence- and outcome-based therapy has allowed diabetics around the world to live healthier, more comfortable, happier, and more productive lives. Unless a scientifically proven superior alternative form of treatment comes along, herbal or otherwise, our current conventional management for diabetes mellitus is still the best, the safest.
The danger
Some patients have abandoned the conventional medications prescribed by their physicians and have opted to take the ampalaya preparations instead. The Philippine Diabetic Association, the Philippine Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Institute for Studies on Diabetes Foundation and the Philippine Center for Diabetes Education have reported that patients who totally relied on these ampalaya tea and pills alone have developed serious complications, like chronic renal failure, disorientation, hypertension, severe dehydration, edema (swelling), elevated blood sugar and congestive heart failure, even coma and death.
There is no convincing evidence todate that ampalaya tea and pills are effective and safe, alone and in themselves, for the treatment of diabetes, much less, provide a cure.
The Philippine Department of Health circular 168-A in 1995 was, thank God, finally reversed 8 years later, following some catastrophes involving diabetic patients who had abandoned their prescription drugs and relied only on the ampalaya “food supplements.” This sad situation could have been prevented had the DOH been more proactive and aggressive in its actions against all these scams.
“Ampalaya…is not intended to treat, prevent, mitigate, cure or diagnose (diabetes) disease,” said Leticia B. Gutierrez, Director of the Philippine Bureau of Food and Drugs (BPAD) in her position paper released August 29, 2003. Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit on June 23rd issued Circular 196-A series of 2003 where he “strongly advised all concerned to cease, desist and discontinue any endorsement ampalaya an alternative treatment for diabetes mellitus.” I could not agree more with those two pronouncements, albeit their release was much delayed than what could be anticipated.
We must always remember that anecdotes and paid testimonials are worthless. Just about anybody will be willing to say just about anything for a fee. Valid scientific studies and clinical confirmations are needed before any substance should be allowed to be sold to the public, if we are to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people.
I am not averse to diabetics eating ampalaya, since this is a common household food item proven to be safe to eat, anyway. Eating ampalaya on top of taking prescription drug(s) for diabetes may even be beneficial to the patient. But certainly, ampalaya alone and in itself (as food item, or as potion or capsule being sold today) is not adequate as a treatment for diabetes. In fact, this would be downright dangerous.
***
Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: [email protected]
