Water is the most important part of human life. water helps humans in many segments of human life starting from routine activities, body needs, and tourism. There are many types of water in the world, one of them is Zamzam water, containing useful minerals. This spring is located about 20 meters east of the Kaaba, the holy place of Islam. This water is very well-known among Muslims. Muslims believe that this water is holy water. Zamzam water is one of God's blessings when Abraham's second wife, Hajar, who still had a baby (Ishmael) was deliberately left in the middle of the desert at God's command. After that Hajar carried out the message that had been delivered, then the water came out from the jolt of the leg of the Ishmael. because Zamzam water flowing in high rate, the Gabriel said the word 'Zamzam', means slow down. This water become a lesson of patience from Hajar to remember. Based on Arab history, the Zamzam water has been flowing for 4000 years. According to the experiment in 2014, there were many other names from Zamzam water such as Zammam, Zumazim, Shubaa, Hazmat al-Malik, Gabriel's Council, The Sealed, That is Clung to, The Watering, The Quenching, The Impulse of Gabriel, The Kick of Gabriel, The Repletion, The Healer of Sickness, The Satisfier of Hunger, and The Well of Abd al-Muttalib (Khalid et al. 663). There are many benefits from Zamzam water. According to the research in 2014, scientists argue that Zamzam water is healthier because it has different characteristics, such as rich of calcium (Khalid et al. 664). This essay will explore the benefit of Zamzam water for the diabetes treatment. Zamzam water can help cure diabetics because it can overcome free radicals which have an effect on reducing glucose levels in the blood.
In type 2 diabetes mellitus there is a disorder of glucose metabolism caused by insulin resistance accompanied by insulin deficiency. In this type of patient, insulin is still produced but there is a decrease in the ability of insulin to work on peripheral target tissue (especially muscle and liver). Existing insulin does not function properly because the insulin receptors in the cell are reduced or changed in structure which can be caused by free radicals. Therefore only a little glucose can enter the cell. This causes blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus to remain high. Free radicals are the name for damaged cells that can cause certain negative conditions. These cells lose important molecules that make them can cause damage if they meet other molecules. Free radicals in humans originate in the body (endogenous) that come from the breathing process (the result of burning energy) and outside the body (exogenous) that come from cigarette smoke, air pollution, radiation, pesticides, and drugs. Antioxidants are used to deal with damage caused by free radicals. Based on experiment result of the Amal et al. in 2017, “zamzam water has been shown to improve the glycemic parameters in diabetic rats by various mechanisms. Zamzam water is alkaline natural water and rich in many minerals which makes it potentially capable of enhancing antioxidant power” (qtd. in Jin et al. 576). Naturally in the human body there is an antioxidant defense system in enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. According to the research in 2012, “However, serum glutathione and total antioxidant capacity were on the verge of being statistically significantly higher in rats given Zamzam water compared to those given bottled water” (Abdullah et al.). Glutathione is known as the master of antioxidants, functions in the immune system, cell regeneration, and is also antioxidant and anti-toxin. The Zamzam water can counteract free radicals by triggering out natural antioxidants in the body.
Diabetes is a metabolic condition when the body cannot regulate glucose or blood sugar properly. Every time you eat carbohydrates, your body will break it down into simple forms of sugar, including glucose. Glucose transported by the blood to the body's cells which will be used as energy. The process of transporting glucose from the blood into the cells is carried out by the hormone insulin. Basically, insulin serves as a regulator of blood sugar levels. the insulin hormone then instructs cells in the liver to convert glucose absorbed from the bloodstream into glycogen. Glycogen is a form of glucose stored in the liver as a reserve of sugar when needed. According to the result of the research in 2017, “the serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, bilirubin, creatinine and urea decreased significantly in the diabetic group treated with zamzam water (2b) compared with the diabetic group which given tap water (2a)” (Abdel-Azeem et al. 574). In this result we can see that zamzam water can reducing some hormones. The serum Alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alkaline phosphatase or basic phosphatase (ALP), and bilirubin, are hormones that are released by the liver along with glucose. While creatinine and urea are the serums that filtered in the kidney together with the glucose. creatinine and urea used to measure the condition of the kidney, because severe diabetes causes damage to the kidneys in filtering glucose from the blood. by measuring that serums level in the body, we can detect glucose levels in the blood. When the serum level decreases we can conclude that our glucose levels also go down. Same as the result of the experiment in 2017 that shows the significant decreasing of serum glucose levels in the diabetic rats which treated with fed on basal diet and zamzam water (Abdel-Azeem et al. 573).
Zamzam water has the ability to cure diabetes. One of them is by fighting free radicals because Zamzam water has a role as antioxidants. The free radical can cause liver damage and make the liver unable to receive information from insulin. The antioxidant is needed to handle free radicals. Zamzam water acts as an additional external antioxidant for the body. So it can help to restore liver function that has been contaminated by many free radicals. Zamzam water has many benefits, apart from its ability to cure diabetes, researchers still need to explore the richness of mineral composition.
