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Diabetes is also known as an unhealthy lifestyle disease. The development of modern science has made it possible to discover beneficial active ingredients in traditional plants and fruits, including the ingestion of bitter melon. So, if you have diabetes, should you eat bitter melon? Read more articles below to know if diabetics eat bitter melon good or not.1. Should diabetics eat bitter melon?
Currently, there is a significant increase in the population suffering from diabetes, a disease caused by lifestyle. According to statistics of the World Health Organization, the number of people with diabetes today is 422 million. Therefore, lifestyle changes with a healthy diet and protection of health, reducing the increased risk of diabetes are essential. Currently, many people have been interested in eating bitter melon and diabetes. So what exactly is this connection?Bitter gourd has been linked to lowering your body's blood sugar levels. The active ingredients in bitter melon make them have an insulin-like mechanism of action – helping to bring glucose into cells for energy. Consuming bitter melon can also help your body retain nutrients by blocking their conversion to glucose and sending them into the bloodstream. Although there is evidence that bitter melon can lower blood sugar, there has not been an approval that recognizes bitter melon as a treatment or medication for prediabetes or diabetes.
There have been a few previous studies on the association between bitter melon and diabetes. A systematic review of the Cochrane database concluded that more studies are needed to measure the effects of bitter melon on type 2 diabetes. In addition, the above study also indicates the need for more research on bitter melon as a nutritional therapy. Another study published in the Journal of Ethnology compared the effectiveness of bitter melon with a current diabetes drug. The study concluded that bitter melon reduced fructosamine levels in the type 2 diabetic patients enrolled in the study. However, it works less effectively than lower doses of the approved drug. Again, there is no medical approval to consume bitter melon as a treatment for type 2 diabetes at this time. But it can be added to the healthy and varied diet of people with type 2 diabetes.
Like a vegetable, bitter melon also contains vitamins and minerals. Bitter melon contains vitamin A, vitamin C and iron. In addition, bitter melon is rich in fiber and antioxidants, such as catechins, gallic acid, epicatechin and chlorogenic acid that help protect cells and fight cancer cells. Thus, using bitter melon in addition to being beneficial for people with diabetes, it also adds vitamins and other nutrients to help improve the health of the patient.
Some notes for diabetics when using bitter melon in the diet is that they can cause some unwanted effects and may interfere with other medications being used. Some unwanted effects may include:
Diarrhea, vomiting and some other intestinal problems Vaginal bleeding, uterine contractions or even miscarriage for pregnant women Dangerously low blood sugar if taken with insulin Liver damage May cause anemia in people with G6PD deficiency Problems with blood sugar control in people who have had recent surgery
2. How will bitter melon affect blood sugar?
Bitter melon has some active substances that act like insulin, thereby reducing blood sugar. Some studies have suggested that bitter melon's ability to lower blood sugar is because they cause more glucose to enter the cells and then store this glucose in the liver, muscle or fat, and vice versa.Some studies suggest that they do this by getting more glucose into your cells, which then helps your body process and store it in the liver, muscles, and fat. They can also prevent your body from changing the nutrients it stores into glucose and then releasing it into the bloodstream. Some research has shown that bitter melon can lower blood sugar and A1c levels in people with type 2 diabetes. But other studies are much less promising, so research is ongoing. Several randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials compared the effects of bitter melon with placebo on glycemic control. Compared with placebo, use of bitter melon significantly reduced FPG, PPG and HBA1c with mean difference - 0.72 mmol/L. Eating bitter melon also significantly reduced FPG in prediabetes (mean difference -0.31 mmol/L, n = 52). However, these clinical trial studies were small in size and the risk of bias was not clear, so the confidence level was low.
3. 10 reasons why bitter melon can help cure diabetes
Bitter melon maintains blood sugar: Bitter melon contains insulin component in the form of polypeptide-p or p-insulin. These substances are very important in managing diabetes naturally. Over time, there has also been a series of clinical trials to confirm the benefits. Tests show that if drinking 2000mg of bitter gourd juice for diabetics continuously daily, the patient's blood sugar will decrease steadily. It helps both type 1 diabetics and type 2 diabetics. Test results found that insulin increased glucose absorption in patients. Charantia contains sitosteryl glucoside and stigmasteryl glucoside. These two factors are very helpful in reducing the blood sugar level in the body of diabetics. Bitter melon aids in strengthening the immune system: The most important thing for people with diabetes is that we have to protect ourselves to avoid exposure to any other diseases. Having other forms of illness can cause their health to decline. Bitter melon is very helpful in improving the functioning of the immune system. Fruits contain vitamin C and antioxidants that promote cell activity and oxidant removal. The nutrients help the body fight off bacteria and viruses that attack the patient. Bitter gourd with glucose intolerance: Recent studies have shown that bitter melon is effective in improving glucose intolerance in patients. The ingredients are present to enhance the insulin sensitive nature of your body. By doing so, the process minimizes insulin resistance, thereby suppressing blood glucose levels. Bitter gourd helps to reduce hemoglobin A1C: Diabetics must maintain hemoglobin A1C levels within a certain range. Hemoglobin is a compound found in red blood cells. In diabetics, glucose is normally bound to hemoglobin in red blood cells. The patient's hemoglobin A1C level is not thought to increase. Bitter melon helps the patient to lose weight: One of the risk factors for diabetes is obesity. Therefore, the most essential thing for diabetics is to reduce obesity. Bitter gourd is very low in calories, fat and carbohydrates. The reduced levels of the three ingredients make it good for obese patients. When you consume fruit, you will not be hungry for a long time. The hypoglycemic effect develops after you drink bitter melon. Thus, it suppresses the appetite in an individual and controls their eating habits. Regularly eating fruit will help support your weight loss goals. Using loofah enhances fat metabolism by reducing fat. In turn, this process should promote lipid absorption and increase metabolism. Another mechanism by which the fruit works is to break down human fat cells. Bitter melon preserves pancreatic B-cells and insulin secretion: Medical experts have found that drinking bitter melon is essential. Consumption leads to stimulation and outflow of insulin from the endocrine pancreatic B cells. This secretion, in turn, stimulates glucose uptake by the patient's liver. This process leads to an increase in the number of insulin-producing cells in your body. Different parts of the body can absorb glucose and use it for energy. How do you use bitter melon for diabetes? The way the fruit is stored will determine how the bitter melon is used. Harvesting and storing bitter melon is the initial stage of using the fruit or vegetable. It's better to buy fruit in season because there are so many varieties to choose from. Choose fresh plants to maximize your intake of volatile nutrients like vitamin C. Make sure you find vegetables with bright, dark green skins that aren't very mature. Most of the time, young plants are less bitter than mature plants. You can store them in the vegetable section of the refrigerator. Cook as a Meal with Bitter Gourd: The most common method of using bitter melon for diabetes is to cook it as a vegetable. Some people who hate bitter taste choose to cook vegetables. One can mix herbs with other dishes to minimize the acrid taste. Different regions have different names for the meals they prepare that contain bitter melon. There are local indigenous dishes and cuisine of fruit. Eat like a fruit: To get the full benefits, it's best to consume fruit when it's fresh. Eating fruit when fresh provides your body with overall nutrients. You can absorb volatile nutrients like vitamin C and antioxidants. Cooking destroys volatile nutrients such as antioxidants found in melons. If you don't mind chewing and swallowing fruit, you can choose this option. Make Bitter Gourd Juice: There are people who don't like the idea of chewing the fruit and swallowing solids. The best option for them is to make juice. Kerala juice is the most common juice made from the tree. Another additive that can be added is lemon because it has the advantage of reducing the bitter, astringent taste. Others include ginger, pepper and a pinch of salt. You can also add other juices like pear juice, apple juice, and lemon juice. Herbal Supplements: Other forms of bitter melon are herbal supplements. Functional food with bitter gourd extract. You can find nutritional supplements from drug stores, herbal stores, and grocery stores. This option is mainly suitable for people who live far from fresh vegetable supplies. It is the best choice when you cannot find fresh fruit when you need bitter melon. Pumpkin tea: Avoid the temptation of adding artificial sweeteners as they are discouraged, especially when it comes to diabetes. Benefits of Using Diabetic Bitter Gourd: This option offers a natural alternative for diabetes management. It allows a person to avoid the use of artificial drugs. Medicines are extracted from plants, so they are easily absorbed and used by the body. Natural plant extracts have fewer side effects when compared to artificial drugs. This is a cost-effective option, especially in low-income areas without access to modern medicine. Developing countries use alternatives due to financial constraints and lack of care facilities. Options provide with many forms for you to choose from every day. One can eat the fruit raw, cooked with other delicacies, such as tea, as a supplement or as a juice.Please follow the website ( www.vinmec.com ) for more information on health care instructions, which we will update regularly.
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