Recent studies show that, within the daily diet of patients with type 2 diabetes, a precise fruit can be included that allows them to significantly reduce blood sugar values.
This chronic disease, type 2 diabetes, is a permanent condition that requires careful management to avoid secondary consequences and other underlying diseases. The role of diet is essential in the control of blood sugar levels. It has been shown through studies that there is one fruit in particular that protects against increased blood sugar levels. In this disease a person’s pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Extraordinary levels of uncontrolled blood sugar pose serious health risks, such as heart disease. Fortunately, some dietary choices can help control blood sugar levels. The evidence points us to one fruit in particular.
Research, conducted by Harold Bays, M.D., medical director and president of the Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Center (L-MARC), involved 46 adults with slight increases in glucose levels, but no prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.
The authors randomly assigned participants to two groups. The first group was told to eat a raisin snack three times a day for 12 weeks, while the second group was given a snack with prepackaged snacks that did not contain raisins or other fruits or vegetables.
Within the results obtained, the researchers found that raisins reduced post-meal glucose levels by 16% and reduced mean hemoglobin A1c by 0.12% compared to baseline. As Diabetes UK explained, HbA1c is a person’s average blood sugar level over the past two to three months. A high HbA1c level means that a person has too much sugar in the blood.
In dissecting the results, Dr. Bays concluded, “Compared to the snack control group, the group consuming raisins had a statistically significant reduction in blood sugar levels after a liquid meal among study participants who had average fasting blood glucose levels at baseline between 90 and 100 mg/dl.”
“This favorable effect of glucose from raisins was further supported by the statistically significant reduction in hemoglobin A1c (a standard test for overall blood glucose control in diabetes mellitus) in intragroup comparison with baseline. Within-group comparisons with the baseline group with the snacks did not show a reduction in hemoglobin A1c,” he added.
Published by Emirates Herald, news and information agency.