The article was professionally consulted with Master, Doctor Vu Thi Duyen - Doctor of Nephrology - Endocrinology - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
In the treatment of diabetes, in addition to using medication as prescribed by the doctor, the patient also needs to follow a diet to help control blood sugar levels. Milk is a nutritious food that can be used for patients with this disease. However, there are notes to choose milk for people with diabetes, to avoid the risk of increasing blood sugar.
1. What is milk for diabetics?
For diabetics, nutrition plays an important role in controlling daily blood sugar levels. Milk is a very important food in everyone's diet, because it has the ability to provide excellent calcium. However, milk contains too much fat and starch, so this can be a risk factor for people with diabetes
Milk for diabetics can be a product with a special formula compared to normal formula milk to supplement part or completely replace the patient's meals. In addition, it also helps patients stabilize blood sugar levels as well as provide adequate energy and nutrients for all body activities.
2. Why do diabetics need to drink milk?
Milk is an essential source of nutrition for everyone, especially diabetics. According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are at high risk of bone fractures. The risk is greater as the patient's age increases and bone mass is lost. Severe bone loss can lead to fractures, reduced mobility and affect the patient's quality of life. Consuming calcium-rich foods such as milk helps strengthen bones and improve osteoporosis. However, milk contains lactose, so when consuming milk, it is also counted in the total daily carbohydrate intake. The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes should consume 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal, including a serving of milk equivalent to 226 grams of milk.
3. When to drink milk for people with diabetes
In addition to paying attention to the issue of choosing milk for people with diabetes, knowing how to drink milk appropriately is also very important to maintain and control blood sugar and avoid abnormally high blood sugar. There are 3 times of the day when people with diabetes should drink milk:
Drinking for breakfast: Medical studies around the world have shown that drinking milk in the morning helps people with diabetes feel full longer. Because milk contains natural protein, when absorbed, the body will secrete some hormones that slow down the digestive process and increase the feeling of fullness. Therefore, to reduce cravings and limit snacking, people with diabetes should drink a glass of milk for breakfast.
Drinking as an afternoon snack: The purpose of a snack is to help diabetics not get too hungry, while also helping to reduce the amount of food in main meals. Milk is the perfect snack for diabetics. Milk provides enough nutrition without causing blood sugar to rise too high after eating. In particular, drinking a glass of milk before exercising also helps increase metabolism, promote muscle movement, and prevent the risk of hypoglycemia when exercising too hard. Thereby, helping to increase the quality of the workout.
Drink 1 hour before going to bed at night: The time between dinner the night before and breakfast the next day is about 12 hours apart. This can put diabetics at risk of hypoglycemia at night, leading to headaches, nocturia, and insomnia. In severe cases, it can lead to convulsions or even death. Therefore, diabetics should drink a glass of milk before going to bed to stabilize blood sugar throughout the night.
When drinking milk, diabetics need to proactively measure blood sugar 1 to 2 hours after eating to promptly adjust their daily food intake to the most appropriate level. Doing this will help patients control blood sugar at an acceptable level.
4. Criteria for choosing milk for diabetic patients
Milk is an essential source of nutrition for diabetics, very good for the treatment process. However, not all milk is good. Diabetics need to understand that not all types of milk are good for health. The following are criteria to help patients choose the right product:
Choose milk products with a low glycemic index: Milk for diabetics should have a glycemic index below 55 to help patients control blood sugar effectively.
Choose sugar-free, low-sugar and low-fat milk products: One of the types of milk for diabetics does not contain sugar, bad fat (saturated fat) to help reduce the risk of increased blood sugar index of patients after use. In addition, using low-fat or skimmed milk or milk with added good fats (unsaturated fats) is considered good milk for diabetics to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications in diabetics.
Choose the right type of milk for the patient's condition: People with diabetes often have some underlying diseases or other symptoms. Therefore, when buying milk for diabetics, it is necessary to base on the health condition of each patient to choose the right product. At the same time, choose milk products with added vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs to increase nutritional support for patients such as: preventing osteoporosis, improving sleep, preventing constipation, good for the digestive system, ...
Choose milk with a specialized carbohydrate system: The specialized carbohydrate system for diabetics is a type of undigested carbohydrate or resistant starch. Resistant starch is not digested in the stomach and small intestine. When reaching the colon, this type of starch inhibits the activity of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system, slowing down digestion. This prevents the body from absorbing resistant starches, so they are not converted into energy but are excreted from the body. With this mechanism, resistant starches also have many benefits for the digestive system such as: reducing the risk of rectal cancer, preventing colon ulcers, constipation, diarrhea and appendicitis.
For example: Isomalt sugar powder is extracted entirely from sugar beets. This type of sugar powder has half the sweetness of regular cane sugar. When eaten, Isomalt sugar hydrolyzes slowly so it does not cause blood sugar to increase suddenly. Thus, it can be seen that milk for diabetics needs to be selected according to its own principles to provide nutrition and control blood sugar levels. To make the most accurate choice, patients should consult a doctor or nutritionist to buy the right type of milk, helping to improve complications of diabetes.
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