Investigating the Impact of Abelmoschus esculentus on Glycemia and Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes

Background: Abelmoschus esculentus L. (okra) has shown potential efficacy in animal models of metabolic disorders; however, evidence from clinical studies emanates from trials with a small sample size, and the findings remain contradictory. This study aims to evaluate the impact of okra on glycemia and insulin resistance in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and prediabetes. Method: A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, including manual screening of references. Abelmoschus esculentus, okra, Hibiscus esculentus, lady’s finger, and diabetes were used as potential keywords and adjusted for each database. A meta-analysis web tool was used to analyze the data, with results reported as the mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD), along with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Nineteen clinical studies conducted in patients with T2D and prediabetes were analyzed. The evidence revealed that, compared to the control group, okra significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (SMD = −0.70 (95% CI, −1.03 to −0.36), p < 0.0001) and glycated hemoglobin (MD = −0.77%, 95%CI (−1.36 to −0.18), p = 0.0102. Furthermore, it reduced the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels, MD = −0.61, 95% CI (−1.07, −0.15), p < 0.0097. However, no significant effect was observed on insulin (p = 0.5823). Conclusions: The evidence gathered in this study suggests that okra may have the potential to regulate glycemia in individuals with T2D and prediabetes. However, the effect on insulin resistance remains controversial, as only HOMA-IR was improved.