Is dragon fruit good for diabetes?
The health benefits of dragon fruit for diabetics
Just as dragon fruit is good for diabetics in controlling their blood sugar levels; it also has other benefits that can improve the overall health of diabetics. Below are some of the health benefits of the dragon fruit.
High nutrition
Dragon fruit is low in calories but high in vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals such as polyphenols, carotenoids and betaine.
Can help treat chronic illness
Free radicals are unstable chemicals that kill cells, causing inflammation and disease. Eating antioxidant-rich foods such as dragon fruit is one way to combat this.
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and prevent the cell damage and inflammation. According to research, antioxidant-rich foods can help prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis.
Vitamin C, betalin and carotenoids are just a few of the powerful antioxidants found in the dragon fruit. Importantly, antioxidants are most effective when consumed organically in food and not as a prescription or supplement.
Promotes intestinal health
The formation of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which is associated with a healthy gastrointestinal system, may be enhanced by dragon fruit. There are over 100 trillion different microorganisms in your stomach, including over 400 different types of bacteria.
Many scientists feel that this microbial ecosystem affects your health. In both human and animal studies, gastric abnormalities have been linked to diseases such as hemorrhoids and heart disease.
Due to the presence of prebiotics in dragon fruit, it may help increase the balance of healthy bacteria in your stomach. (Prebiotic is a form of fiber that helps the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.)
This is why dragon fruit is beneficial for people living with diabetes because one of the major problems that diabetics face is health complications such as heart disease and mouth infections.
Strengthening the immune system
Dragon fruit has high vitamin C and carotenoid content that may have immune-boosting properties. Many factors, including the quality of your nutrition, affect your body’s ability to fight infection.
Dragon fruit contains vitamin C and carotenoids, which can help strengthen the diabetic immune system and protect your white blood cells from damage.
Your immune system attacks the white blood cells and destroys dangerous things. They, however, are particularly vulnerable to free radical damage.
Vitamin C and carotenoids are powerful antioxidants that can neutralize the free radicals and protect your white blood cells from injury.
Is dragon fruit good for diabetes?
The effects of dragon fruit on glycemic control in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes have been studied in one study. After eating dragon fruit, the type 2 diabetes group did not see any decrease in blood sugar level.
On the other hand, fasting plasma glucose-FPG (blood sugar level 15.1 mg / dl) was lower before diabetes. As a result of lowering blood sugar levels, dragon fruit is especially beneficial for diabetics.
Prediabetes is the warning sign that you may develop the diabetes if you’re eating habits and lifestyle does not improve. It was also found that the more you ate dragon fruit, the lower your FPG% was.
Also, previous animal studies have suggested a link between the consumption of dragon fruit and better control of diabetes, according to the paper. This is because dragon fruit promotes the growth of the insulin-producing pancreatic cells.
Several clinical trials comparing the effects of dragon fruit and placebo have been examined in people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. According to scientists, dragon fruit has a significant effect on plasma glucose uptake in pre-diabetic patients.
They also found that consuming dragon fruit greatly improved blood sugar.
However, research has found no link between eating dragon fruit and better control of type 2 diabetes.
Dragon Fruit: How to Eat It
While the dragon fruit’s weak, leathery skin can be difficult, eating it is relatively simple. Green is the color of unclean dragon fruit. Look with a bright red color.
Some scars are normal, but if there are too many pieces like the wound, it will be more mature.
Dragon fruit can be sliced and eaten with little effort. To eat, follow these instructions:
- By pressing the outer skin of the dragon fruit, you can tell if it is ripe. If the skin yields little when pressed, the fruit is ripe.
- Cut the dragon fruit in half lengthwise. If you want, divide the fruit once again into four parts. This may make skin removal easier.
- Eat dragon fruit meat, including black seed. It contains fiber, which can boost the health benefits of consuming dragon fruit.
- To enhance the flavor of the fruit, some people add lemon juice to it. Dragon fruit can also be frozen, grilled or mixed into a variety of foods for a nutritious and tasty meal.
- While most people refrain from eating the skin because of its pungent odor, other people pickle it and eat it alone or in salads. Additional flavonoids, which are antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties, were added as a result.
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