List of Foods with Low Glycemic Index – Diabetes 30

We talked about important of Low Glycemic Index (GI) for diabetes patients. Index may relate to spike of blood sugar level when eating certain foods. The index has scale from 0 to 100.

Fig 01- The long bean in the grocery

You may read the previous post about Low Glycemic Index: Why is Low Glycemic Index Important? - Diabetes 29 | Tanza

Then we might wonder about which foods have Low Glycemic Index. As suggested by Mayo Clinic (2023: Low-glycemic index diet: What's behind the claims?), there are 3 levels of index scales:

- low Glycemic Index, scale between 1 to 55

- medium Glycemic Index, scale between 56 to 69.

- high Glycemic Index, scale between 70 to 100

Fig 02- Broccoli, Low Glycemic Index

# Posting about diabetes:

- Effect of Metabolic on Beta Cells in the Pancreas - Diabetes 5 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- How Lipotoxicity Relate to Diabetes? - Diabetes 6 |

- What is Hypoxia and How Its Relates to Diabetes? - Diabetes 7 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Can Abnormal Blood Sugar Lead to Seizure? - Diabetes 8 | Tanza Erlambang Update

Fig 03- Cassava, Low Glycemic Index

Some examples of foods based on their Glycemic Index (GI) levels

1) Low GI levels include:

- most fruit, peas, beans and green vegetables

2) Medium GI levels may include:

- multigrain, whole-grain, corn, pineapple and bananas

3) High GI levels are:

- white bread and white rice

Fig 04- Corn, medium Glycemic Index

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Why is Low Glycemic Index Important? - Diabetes 29

Some of you may be have good knowledge about list of foods with higher calories. If not, we just look at packaging of foods. Calories and nutrition facts are written there.

Fig 01- Fruits have Low Glycemic Index

I always observe in many groceries, even kids and teenagers have a kind of “automatic” skill for reading quickly the nutrition facts and calories written on the packaging of any foods.

In respect to calories, it is important for diabetic or pre-diabetic patients. High calories may lead to spike of blood sugar.

In addition to calories, we should know Glycemic Index. Then what is Glycemic Index? Why important?

Fig 02- Vegetable is good for Low Glycemic Index

# Some postings relate to Diabetes:

- What is Type 2 Diabetes? - Diabetes 1

- What is the Relationship between Eggs and Diabetes? - Diabetes 2 | Tanza Erlambang

- Why Pancreas of Type 2 Diabetic Persons Produce Less Insulin? - Diabetes 3 | Tanza

- Could Medicines Affect on Pancreas to Produce Insulin? - Diabetes 4 | Tanza Erlambang

Fig 03- Peanuts and beans have Low Glycemic Index

Glycemic Index is index to measure affect of certain foods on level of blood sugar in our body. The scale is between 0 to 100.

Lower Glycemic Index means the body could minimize the spike of blood sugar, so the level of blood sugar in balance.

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Could Available Drugs Regenerate beta Cells? – Part 2 - Diabetes 28

You may read previous posting (Part 1):

- Could Available Drugs Regenerate beta Cells? – Part 1 - Diabetes 28

Fig 01- Some drugs at pharmacy store

In addition to treat diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 Ras) have other several advantages:

- heart health

- and kidney function

Researchers from Icahn medical school, Mount Sinai, New York combined both DYRK1A inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists to see their effect on beta cell replication on human with diabetes.

The result is quite surprising!

Fig 02- A nice pet

Fig 03- Mermaid tail, illustration.

Finding of research may be summarized as following:

1) It is possible to replicate beta cells in diabetes patients

- previous research was fail.

2) Combine drugs able to produce beta cells in quite numbers

- about 5% to 6% after four days treatment.

- while using GLP-1 receptor agonist alone produce 2% beta cells only

3) Further developments

- Scientists believe that combines with other inhibitor drugs could increase cells replications significantly.

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Could Available Drugs Regenerate beta Cells? – Part 1 - Diabetes 28

We have talked about dangerous of several drugs in the market that cause negative effect on beta cells to produce insulin:

- Why Pancreas of Type 2 Diabetic Persons Produce Less Insulin? - Diabetes 3

- Could Medicines Affect on Pancreas to Produce Insulin? - Diabetes 4

Fig 01- Diet for diabetes

However, based on research published in Science Translational Medicine, Vol.12, no 530 (February, 2020) that two type of drugs are able to grow beta cells in human pancreas.

Two type of drugs which could replicate beta cells are:

- DYRK1A inhibitors

- and GLP-1 receptor agonists

Researchers found that using DYRK1A inhibitors alone could stimulate beta cells productions, but at modest level only.

Fig 02- Illustration purpose

Fig 03- Sagitarius, Illustration only

Then researchers searched other possibility by using GLP-1 receptor agonists which are prescription drugs to treat diabetes.

Some of GLP-1 receptor agonists are following:

- Novo Nordisk’s Victoza

- Ozempic

- Rybelsus

- Eli Lilly’s Trulicity

- and AstraZeneca’s Bydureon.

# To be continued to Part 2

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What Habit may Contribute to Diabetes? - Diabetes 27

This post is summary of several readings, include:

- Lipla Nagi, 2015. Six bad habits that put you at risk for diabetes.

- Donna SM, et al, 2014. Behavioral Contributions to the Pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes.

Magnolia flowers in the last spring

There are some habits could caused diabetes, they are:

1) Stay until late night (until morning) leads to development of diabetes.

- The 8 hours sleep will not set off development.

- However, late night disrupts sleep quality that lead to bad metabolism, then affect to blood sugar regulation.

2. Using of plastic wrap may cause insulin resistance:

- thus increased risk of diabetes, especially for children.

3.Avoid sun in longer period may increase risk of diabetes.

- It is because lack of sun lead to vitamin D deficiency, then decrease pancreases ability to produce insulin.

Falling tree, just for illustration

4.Too much sitting may increase risk of diabetes.

- One hour sitting will increase risk by 4%.

- Sitting may cause storage of visceral fat, thus reduce insulin sensibility.

5.Skip breakfast may cause hungry at late morning, thus increase risk of type 2 diabetes.

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Can Blood Sugar Hold at Normal Level Without Medication? - Diabetes 12

Blood control of Diabetes patient, just for illustration

(credit to Diet Doctor).

Some may have a question: can we cure diabetes? The answer is no, but patients may manage or maintain blood sugar to normal level.

Normal or near normal level of blood sugar may be hold without medication by such as:

- healthy or low caloric diet

- weight loss

It is reported that low calorie diets, less than 850 calories per day affects on blood sugar level.

The level could be normal in certain period. If diet is done for 5 months, the normal range would be for 1 year.

In addition to normal or near normal blood sugar level, low calorie diet could control blood pressure as well.

Weight loss is important too. Few pounds loss able to manage blood sugar level, and even diabetes free in some cases.

Weight loss (credit to Medical Xpress)

Possible diabetes free if diagnosed early, and taken action to loss weight as soon as possible.

Lost about 30 pounds (14 kg) for type 2 diabetes patients have positive effects in terms of:

- cells to control blood sugar will work well

- lower fat in liver and pancreas help beta cells to release insulin to manage blood sugar.

It is believed that to control blood glucose by lower calorie diets consumption and weight loss program is better than by medications (insulin injection or drugs) at early stage of diabetes type 2 patients.

Could Green Tea Improve Insulin Sensitivity? - Diabetes 11

A box of teabags green tea

We discussed about benefit of coffee to reduce risk of diabetes (Is there Relationship between Coffee and Type 2 Diabetes? - Diabetes 10 | Tanza Erlambang Update). This post will talk about green tea.

Term of insulin sensitivity defines as cells responds to insulin improvement, then reduce insulin resistance.

It is important for diabetic patients, because less insulin resistance means more sugar burned, then blood sugar reduced.

The question then: how to improve insulin sensitivity naturally? Drink green tea. It is because green tea contains

- EGCG, a powerful antioxidant “Epi Gallo Catechin Gallate.”

- Polyphenols

Both EGCG and Polyphenols are able to decrease absorption and digestion of glucose, then less insulin resistant and improve insulin sensitivity.

Moreover, benefits of drinking green tea everyday for diabetic patients are:

- blood glucose level management

- hemoglobin A1C level management.

In addition to control diabetes, together with coffee, green tea with less caffeine is known for improvement of the healthy health. 

A tea plantation, beautiful and green

Flavonoids is responsible for healthy health. It is informed that good to consume 400 mg Flavonoids per day.

One cup of green tea contains 150 mg of Flavonoids, thus, it is suitable to drink two to three cups of green tea per day.

By drinking green tea in several cups and consume balance diets lead to lower blood pressure and weight loss that is good for diabetes patients.

It is fact that Japanese people drink several cups of green tea per day have lower risk to get type 2 diabetes.

Why not we start to drink green tea regularly?

Is there Relationship between Coffee and Type 2 Diabetes? - Diabetes 10

Figure - 1. Relationship between Coffee and diabetes 

(credit to Phys.org)

At previous post, we discussed about benefit of drink coffee to avoid hearth diseases (Could Drink Coffee Regularly Avoid You from Heart Diseases? - Heart 8 | Tanza Erlambang Update).

Then, Is there Relationship between Coffee and Type 2 Diabetes? Yes, its because in addition to caffeine, coffee contains ingredients to lower diabetes rates.

The ingredients include:

- Magnesium, a mineral to lower risk of diabetes

- Cromium, a mineral to lower blood sugar and improve the insulin

- Polyphenols, an antioxidant to prevent type 2 diabetes

We could see of below Figure -2, where as we drink cups of coffee more, the reducing diabetes risk is more too.

Hence, more drink, less the chance to get diabetes. But there is the limit, drink 6 cups of coffee more will have negative effect on our health.

Fig - 2. Coffee and reduce risk of diabetes (credit to Ding, 2014)

For those who have diabetes, drink two cups of coffee daily associates with stability of blood glucose level and insulin sensitivity.

We may say that people with diabetes have advantage to drink coffee. Contrary, people without diabetes could increase the risk to get diseases without drink coffee at all.

Both caffeine and decaffeinate have the same positive effects on lower risk to get type 2 diabetes.

However, some researches show that no clear cut relationship between coffee and lower risk diabetes to certain group of people such as:

- obese people

- gender effects

Thus, further researches needed to be conducted. 

# You may like to read:

1) - What is Type 2 Diabetes? - Diabetes 1 | Tanza Erlambang Update

2) - What is the Relationship between Eggs and Diabetes? - Diabetes 2 | Tanza Erlambang Update

3) - Why Pancreas of Type 2 Diabetic Persons Produce Less Insulin? - Diabetes 3 | Tanza Erlambang Update

4) - Could Medicines Affect on Pancreas to Produce Insulin? - Diabetes 4 | Tanza Erlambang Update

5) - Effect of Metabolic on Beta Cells in the Pancreas - Diabetes 5 | Tanza Erlambang Update

6) - How Lipotoxicity Relate to Diabetes? - Diabetes 6 | Tanza Erlambang Update

7) - What is Hypoxia and How Its Relates to Diabetes? - Diabetes 7 | Tanza Erlambang Update

8) - Can Abnormal Blood Sugar Lead to Seizure? - Diabetes 8 | Tanza Erlambang Update

9) - Can Diabetic Ketone-acidosis Lead to Death? - Diabetes 9 | Tanza Erlambang Update