Diabetes: The 10p fruit that can lower blood sugar levels by almost 30% within hours
Type 2 diabetes can be a 'devastating diagnosis' says expert
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Type 2 diabetes is a direct result of poor insulin production. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, if you have type 2 diabetes, the cells do not take up insulin properly. This results in rising blood sugar levels – a complication that poses a major threat to the body.
Blood sugar levels rise in response to eating so, if you have type 2 diabetes, you must eat foods that slow down post-meal rises in blood sugar.
One way of measuring a food’s response to blood sugar is to conduct a postprandial blood sugar test – this measures the glucose concentration in your bloodstream in the period up to four hours after eating a meal.
Some foods have proven to be remarkably adept at lowering high blood sugar levels after eating and raisins are one such item.
That’s the conclusion of a study published in the Natural Medicine Journal.
The study sought to evaluate the impact of routine consumption of dark raisins versus alternative processed snacks on glucose (blood sugar) levels and other cardiovascular risk factors among patients with type 2 diabetes.
Participants in the raisin treatment arm consumed a 1-oz package (90 calories) three times a day before meals with a glass of water or a noncaloric beverage, such as tea.
Participants randomised to the snack group consumed a 100-calorie snack pack three times a day before meals with water or another noncaloric beverage.
Postprandial glucose level and other cardiovascular risk factors were calculated.
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What did the researchers find out?
Study participants who consumed raisins had a significant 23 percent reduction in postprandial glucose levels.
Also in comparison to study participants who ate packaged snacks, those who consumed raisins had a 19 percent reduction in fasting glucose and a 0.12 percent reduction in HbA1c, although these latter findings did not achieve statistical significance.
Fasting glucose measures average blood sugar levels eight to 10 after fasting and HbA1c is your average blood sugar levels for the last two to three months.
Reductions in blood pressure were also observed in the group allocated raisins.
What’s behind this effect?
The study does not posit an explanation for this effect but the fruit’s ranking on the glycaemic index provides some clues.
The GI is a rating system for foods containing carbohydrates. It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten on its own.
Raisins have a low to medium ranking on the GI.
Low or medium GI foods are broken down more slowly and cause a gradual rise in blood sugar levels over time.
Other low or medium GI foods include:
- Other fruit and vegetables
- Pulses
- Wholegrain foods, such as porridge oats.
Symptoms to spot
Many people have type 2 diabetes without realising. This is because symptoms do not necessarily make you feel unwell.
Symptoms include:
- Peeing more than usual, particularly at night
- Feeling thirsty all the time
- Feeling very tired
- Losing weight without trying to
- Itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
- Cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
- Blurred vision.
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