Nopal (Prickly Pear Cactus) and blood glucose
What 3 graded rows on nopal (prickly pear cactus) agree on for blood glucose, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.
Consensus finder Rows from the Nopal (Prickly Pear Cactus) page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides
What the rows agree on
Each block and row is one graded row from the Nopal (Prickly Pear Cactus) page, with its PubMed record.
Your question
Nopal (Prickly Pear Cactus) and blood glucose
3 rows · 56 peopleMostly an improvement: 2 of 3 rows, and most of the people. 1 had mixed results.
- DGrade D× 3
- Rows
- 3
- Trials
- 3
- People
- 56
What the rows share
From the rowsThe best-graded row, grade D, is a randomized trial of 29 people (2010) and reported mixed results.
The rows run from 6 to 29 people, published from 2010 to 2014: 3 single studies.
The rows
2 improved · 1 mixed- DGrade DGlucose and insulin after breakfast in type 2 diabetes · Improved
Open-label trial · n 21 · 2014 · 7 healthy adults (glycaemic index test) and 14 adults with type 2 diabetes (Mexico)
300 g steamed nopal with breakfast · Single meals
Adding nopal to a high-carbohydrate breakfast lowered the glucose area under the curve (287 vs 443) and the insulin response; nopal's glycaemic index was 32.5.
Row on the Nopal (Prickly Pear Cactus) page · PubMed 25132122 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DBlood glucose after a glucose drink, at rest and after exercise · Improved
Crossover RCT · n 6 · 2012 · Healthy, active young men (Belgium)
1,000 mg before and after a glucose test · Single sessions
Glucose area under the curve fell 26% at rest and 37% after exercise versus placebo, with higher insulin at rest.
Row on the Nopal (Prickly Pear Cactus) page · PubMed 22805855 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DBlood glucose after a glucose drink and over 16 weeks in prediabetes · Mixed
RCT · n 29 · 2010 · Obese adults aged 20 to 50 with prediabetes (US)
400 mg before the glucose drink; 200 mg/day for 16 weeks · Single dose and 16 weeks
A dose before the glucose drink lowered glucose at 60 to 120 minutes compared with the pre-supplement test, but there were no differences between the extract and placebo groups at 16 weeks.
Row on the Nopal (Prickly Pear Cactus) page · PubMed 20621660 (opens PubMed)