Diabetes mellitus is a group of chronic metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia due to defects in insulin action and/or secretion. It is a worldwide problem which has led to illness and premature mortality for many people, and the number of diabetes cases has been rising sharply. Unluckily, many conventional antidiabetic agents either show limited efficacy or serious mechanism-based side effects. Marine macroalgae possess tremendous nutritional value and have been well-known to cure and prevent diabetes. An increased interest in various bioactive natural products from marine macroalgae, as a potential source of effective antidiabetic agents, has been observed in recent years. The effects of macroalgae may delay the development of diabetes and alter the metabolic abnormalities through various mechanisms of actions. This review provides an overview of marine macroalgae used to prevent and manage diabetes and explores the hypoglycemic properties of macroalgae-derived bioactive compounds such as polyphenol, bromophenols, sulfated polysaccharides, fucoidan, fucosterol, phlorotannins, carotenoid pigments and fucoxanthin with their probable mechanisms behind hypoglycemic activity.

糖尿病是一组慢性代谢性疾病，其特征在于由于胰岛素作用和/或分泌缺陷引起的高血糖症。这是一个世界性的问题，已导致许多人患病和过早死亡，而且糖尿病病例的数量急剧增加。不幸的是，许多常规的抗糖尿病药要么显示出有限的功效，要么显示出严重的基于机制的副作用。海洋大藻类具有巨大的营养价值，并且众所周知可以治愈和预防糖尿病。近年来，人们已经注意到海洋大型藻类作为有效的抗糖尿病药的潜在来源，对各种生物活性天然产物的兴趣日益浓厚。大藻类的作用可能会延迟糖尿病的发生并通过各种作用机制改变代谢异常。