Plant α-amylase inhibitors and their effect on the utilization of polysaccharides contained in the diet.

Development of civilization diseases such as diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome or obesity, enforces the increasing effort to find new drugs, especially from natural sources. These include α-amylase inhibitors, which break down polysacharides into simple sugars in the body of a healthy person. As this cleavage affects the level of blood sugar, which is sought to be therapeutically influenced, there is a growing interest in these substances. This review maps the types of amylase inhibitors, including their natural resources.