Olive leaf may provide nature’s answer to diabetes treatment. A recent study from the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, suggests that olive leaf extract can help reduce insulin resistance and increase insulin production by beta cells in the pancreas.

The researchers tested 46 middle-aged, obese adults at risk for developing metabolic syndrome-related Type 2 diabetes. In the double-blind, placebo-controlled study, olive leaf extract outperformed the diabetes drug metformin and “significantly improved insulin sensitivity and pancreatic beta-cell secretory capacity,” according to the researchers. Insulin helps escort glucose into the body’s cells.