As is known to all, diabetes is a particularly common chronic disease in today’s life, but what we don’t know is that the number of diabetes patients is very high.
According to the International Diabetes Federation statistics, the global number of diabetes patients is approximately 426 million, and China has approximately 150 million diabetes patients.
Increased blood sugar levels not only affect daily diet but also easily impact health, causing harm to blood vessels and the heart. If not controlled for a long time, elevated blood sugar levels can easily affect liver and kidney function, leading to water and sodium retention, and can also affect endocrine balance.
However, when studying various causes of diabetes, most are closely related to personal unhealthy eating habits, such as lack of exercise, staying up late, overeating, and so on.
Some people now believe that garlic is a “trigger” for diabetes. Many believe that garlic has a spicy flavor which can inhibit insulin secretion if consumed excessively, worsening the condition. So, is this statement true or false?
01
What are the symptoms of early diabetes?
(1) Patients experience reactive hypoglycemia before lunch or dinner, feeling palpitations, hunger, sweating, fatigue, and relief of symptoms after eating, and so on.
(2) Itchy skin.
(3) Recurrent infections in the urinary tract, bile duct, lungs, and skin.
(4) Pain and numbness in the limbs.
(5) Tuberculosis patients with poor response to anti-tuberculosis drugs.
(6) Without the intention to lose weight, but sudden unexplained thinness.
(7) Rhomboid glossitis, which means atrophy of lingual papillae in the central part of the tongue, manifested as rhomboid defects without local tongue coating, with an incidence rate of 61.7%.
(8) Peripheral neuritis, numbness in the shoulders, hands, and feet, accompanied by burning sensation and ant movement. According to statistics, about 40% of diabetes patients have the above symptoms.
(9) Diminished or absent tendon reflexes. Statistics show that 53.3% of patients with abnormal glucose tolerance have disappeared tendon reflexes, but only 3.4% of normal individuals.
(10) Age of onset of diabetes, where 80% of people are over 45 years old. Regular blood sugar and urine sugar checks should be performed, as obesity, hypertension, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease make one more susceptible to diabetes.
02
Is Garlic a “Trigger” for Diabetes?
Garlic is very common in daily life, typically used as an auxiliary material for cooking. Garlic has high nutritional value, including protein, fat, carotene, sugar, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, dietary fiber, phosphorus, calcium, iron, trace elements such as zinc, copper, magnesium, cobalt, selenium, and allicin.
Eating garlic is beneficial for liver protection, blood sugar regulation, and cardiovascular protection. However, some claim that garlic is a trigger for diabetes because it is a spicy condiment that, if consumed frequently, is detrimental to blood flow and can even affect blood sugar breakdown.
In fact, this idea is completely wrong. Diabetes patients eating garlic will not cause an increase in blood sugar; on the contrary, consuming garlic can help blood flow, prevent cardiovascular diseases, lower blood lipids, and stabilize blood sugar. Diabetes patients can eat 1-2 cloves of garlic daily to promote insulin secretion, enhance tissue cell utilization of glucose, thus gradually stabilizing blood sugar, but be cautious not to consume too much at once.
03
Doctor: Avoid High Blood Sugar, 4 Types of Foods Suggested to Eat Less
1. High sugar and high-calorie foods
Foods like honey desserts, caramelized brown sugar, fruit juice, jam, chocolate, dried fruits, cream cakes, raisins, when ingested, cause rapid blood sugar spikes.
2. Foods high in starch content
Potatoes, wheat, rice, red beans, peas, taro, sweet potatoes, etc., have high starch content which provides the needed energy for the body. Excess starch in the body is converted into sugar, raising blood sugar levels.
3. Foods high in carbohydrates
High-carbohydrate foods have a high glycemic index and are quickly absorbed into the body, promoting rapid blood sugar spikes. Common foods include steamed buns, carbonated drinks, glutinous rice noodles, fried rice, watermelon, pineapple juice, red dates, dumplings, mangoes, and so on.
4. Foods high in fat content
Foods high in fat content including ice cream, desserts, cakes, fried foods, are high in fat and calories. The finer the food particles, the higher the glycemic index, the smaller the food particles, the higher the glycemic index, and the more refined the food intake, the higher the glycemic index. Foods with high blood sugar index easily cause high blood sugar levels.
04
To control blood sugar levels, it is recommended to eat more of the following three types of foods
Avocado
Avocado, also known as the butterfruit, is rich in dietary fiber, healthy fats, and vitamins, a fruit with healthy fats that contains approximately 20 different vitamins and minerals, specifically vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium, lutein, and carotenoids.
Eating avocado can enhance satiety, reduce the rate of carbohydrate absorption, thus maintaining stable blood sugar levels, reducing blood pressure, cholesterol, increasing weight, insulin sensitivity, and decreasing the risk of diabetes.
Whole wheat bread
Whole wheat bread is a healthy whole-grain bread rich in B vitamins, dietary fiber, folate, and vitamin C, which can help better control blood sugar.
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds are rich in magnesium, which participates in many energy metabolism processes. Research has shown that magnesium deficiency is related to insulin resistance and can lead to diabetes. For every additional 100 mg/day of magnesium intake, the risk of type II diabetes decreases by about 15%. Two tablespoons of pumpkin seeds contain about 74 mg of magnesium. It is recommended for diabetes patients to consume 8 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds daily.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes have a very low glycemic index like other non-starchy fruits, beneficial for stabilizing blood sugar. Moreover, research has shown that consuming one and a half medium-sized tomatoes daily can lower blood pressure and help reduce the cardiovascular risk of type II diabetes patients.
Ginger
Ginger is the preferred plant for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Some studies suggest that ginger can lower fasting blood sugar levels in type II diabetes patients.
