Type 2 diabetes is due to a dysfunction in the way the body processes insulin.
The pancreas normally releases insulin to regulate blood sugar levels in the body. However, insulin production is hampered if you have type 2 diabetes, causing increase blood sugar levels.
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Unregulated blood sugar levels can be very damaging and wreak havoc on the body, so you urgently need to find alternative means of managing your levels if you have type 2 diabetes.
The threat of increased blood sugar levels is more acute after eating because as you digest food in your stomach, your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels rise sharply.
Fortunately, Some foods counteract high blood sugar levels within minutes of eating them.
Research suggests that raisins produce this effect. That’s the conclusion of a study published in the journal The Physician and Sports medicine.
The 12-week randomized study evaluated the impact of routine consumption of dark raisins versus alternative processed snacks on glucose levels in 51 study participants with type 2 diabetes.
In this study, compared to alternative processed snacks, those who ate raisins had a significant 23 percent reduction in postprandial glucose levels.
Postprandial means after a meal. This test is done to see how your body responds to sugar and starch after you eat.
The test is performed within two hours of ingestion, which implies that raisins lowered participants’ blood sugar levels within 120 minutes of consumption.
Also compared to snacking, those who ate raisins had a 19 percent reduction in fasting glucose and a 0.12 percent reduction in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), although the latter findings did not reach «statistical significance.» , the researchers wrote.
The fasting glucose is your average blood glucose (sugar) level after not eating for eight to 10 hours and HbA1c is your average blood glucose (sugar) level over the past two to three months.
Also, compared to alternative processed snacks, those who ate raisins saw a significant drop in their blood pressure reading.
«Overall, these data support raisins as a healthy alternative compared to processed snacks in patients with T2DM [diabetes tipo 2]», the researchers concluded.
The blood sugar lowering effect of eating raisins is not surprising.
Dried fruit ranks low on the glycemic index (GI), a rating scale used to determine how a particular carbohydrate affects a person’s blood sugar.
Low or medium GI foods break down more slowly and cause a gradual rise in blood sugar levels over time.
They include:
Some fruits and vegetables
Whole foods, such as oatmeal.
Also, low GI foods, which cause blood sugar levels to rise and fall slowly, can help you feel fuller for longer, notes the NHS.
«This could help control your appetite and can be helpful if you’re trying to lose weight.»
Many people have type 2 diabetes without realizing it. This is because the symptoms do not necessarily make you feel bad.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
- urinating more than usual, especially at night
- being thirsty all the time
- feeling very tired
- lose weight without trying
- Itching around your penis or vagina, or repeated canker sores
- Cuts or wounds that take longer to heal
- Blurry vision.