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24.05.2025

Combination of Ginkgo biloba with exercise has antidiabetic effect in HIV patients

People with HIV can grow old thanks to antiviral medication, but many HIV patients are not healthy. If they exercise, they become healthier - but exercise does not improve their glucose and insulin household. Combining exercise with supplementation with Ginkgo biloba does.

Study
Mexican exercise scientists, affiliated with the Universidad de Guadalajara, experimented with 28 people with HIV. All subjects were given the same antiviral drugs - a cocktail of bictegravir, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide. This cocktail, and probably especially bictegravir, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. The virus does that too, by the way.

The Mexican researchers say little about the subjects' sensitivity to insulin. They do say that the subjects had a disturbed cholesterol balance. This includes a low HDL level, a higher LDL level and relatively high triglycerides in the blood.

All subjects trained in a fitness centre 3-5 times a week for 12 weeks. The most important part of the training consisted of cardio training. Each session lasted 50 minutes.

The Mexicans divided the subjects into 3 groups. One took a placebo [ET + placebo] daily, another took statins [ET + statins], and yet another took 120 milligrams of a Ginkgo biloba-extract [ET + GKB extract] daily.

Results
All subjects became significantly fitter and slimmer. Only the users of Ginkgo biloba showed a relatively mild but significant decrease in HbA1c and HOMA-IR. Both effects mean that supplementation with Ginkgo biloba improves insulin sensitivity.

Mechanism
The Mexicans suspect, based on previously published in vitro research, that active ingredients in Ginkgo cause cells to produce more insulin receptor substrate-2 [IRS-2]. More IRS-2 means that cells become more sensitive to insulin and therefore also absorb more glucose from the blood.

Conclusion
"HIV infection is now a treatable chronic disease, and it is a concern that about half of people living with HIV infection are physically inactive", write the Mexicans.

"Our study demonstrated that supervised physical activity improves body fat and cardiorespiratory capacity. This effective non-pharmacological intervention should be encouraged in people living with HIV infection to engage them in physical activity."

"In contrast, Ginkgo biloba extract is an inexpensive supplement with effects on insulin resistance in people living with HIV infection and could be used in the prevention and add-on treatment of type-2 diabetes."

"Further large-scale studies are required to confirm these findings."

Source:
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Mar 18;13(6):663.

More:
Ginkgo keeps incorrigible fatties healthy 03.09.2014

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Insulin & Glucose Metabolism
Ginkgo biloba

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