Is
mango good for a diabetic person?
SEASON
OF MANGOES –THE KING OF FRUITS! NO ONE CAN EAT JUST ONE!
There’s
a lingering myth among diabetics, that you can’t just have sweet things. It’s
really the truth when it comes to cakes and Indian sweets, but doesn’t apply
the same for fresh fruits such as MANGOES.
Mango is a tropical fruit and full of vitamins—particularly Vitamin
A and C—where one mango provides about 1/3 of the RDA for Vitamin A and nearly
100% of the RDA for Vitamin C. Mangos are also high in fibre and contain
calcium, potassium and copper.
Mangoes are
a sweet fruit with high levels of natural sugar. In addition, mangoes provide
polyphenols, triterpene, and lupeol. These compounds have antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory properties.
1 cup
(100gms) mangoes have 100 calories, 25 gms carbohydrates, 1 gm protein, 0 gm
fat & 25 gms sugar.
Glycemic
index and glycemic load
The glycemic index, or GI, of a particular food indicates the
effect it has on blood sugar -- specifically how fast the carbohydrates turn to
sugar -- when compared to the effect of pure glucose on blood sugar. Foods with
a glycemic index of less than 50 are low-GI foods. A score of 50 to 70
indicates a moderate GI, while foods scoring 70 or above are categorized as
high GI foods. Glycemic load takes into consideration how much of a
carbohydrate is in a particular food, a factor that directly impacts its effect
on blood sugar. Foods with a glycemic load of 10 or less are classified
as low-glycemic-load foods. A score of 11 to 19 constitutes a medium glycemic
load, while a score of 20 or higher is considered high. The glycemic index for 120 g of mango is
60, which qualifies the fruit as moderate
on the glycemic index scale. However, because green mangoes have high water
content, the amount of carbohydrate by weight makes the glycemic load score a 9. A green mango is a low-glycemic-load food.
In fact, studies indicate that eating mangoes can help prevent diabetes
complications and may even treat prediabetes and prevent diabetes.
Wondering How? Even I was surprised and hence went digging the fact…
One of the non-listed components of mangoes is a
substance known as mangiferin—which, in addition to anti-inflammatory and
anti-viral activities, also can help lower blood sugar levels. This
substance also has been shown to stabilize and support blood vessels. Other
research indicated that other components in mangoes including quercetin and a
derivative of mangiferin can modulate the same cellular constituents that are
the targets of the anti-diabetes drugs, the thiazolidinediones also known as
the glitazones which include rosiglitazone and pioglitazone.
These targets for the glitazones are the peroxisome
proliferator-activated receptors or the PPARs. There are a number of PPARs that
are involved in blood sugar regulation as well as in cholesterol
regulation. More recent research has indicated that mangiferin may also
affect certain enzymes that can positively influence the metabolism of blood
sugars and to protect against fatty deposits in the liver.
Mango was also recently tested in 10 people with
T2D. The glycemic response to a number of fruits was tested—the fruits
included bananas, oranges, pineapples, pawpaw and mango.The portions were
standardized so that everyone had 50 grams of carbohydrate per serving.
Mango showed the least rise in post-meal
blood sugar levels—second and third least were oranges
and pawpaw.
Also….
Don’t forget that mangoes are a great source of
Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Vitamin C is an important anti-oxidant that can
recycle itself and be used over and over again to reduce the levels of damaging
free radicals—believed by many to be at least one of the sources of the
complications of diabetes—the neuropathy, the retinopathy, the damage to blood
vessels and the damage to the kidneys.. One study showed that 1000mg of Vitamin
C a day can help decrease blood sugar levels as well as fat
level in the blood. Other studies have shown that same amount—1000 mg taken
in 500mg tablets twice a day—can lower the overall inflammatory status in
diabetic patients with or without high blood pressure.
Mangoes—the
last word?
By now you probably know there is hardly ever the last
word in diabetes. However, as long as you continue to keep track of your
total daily carbohydrate, having some mango to satisfy your taste buds is
absolutely a good idea.
But if you cannot control then it’s a big NO-NO to have
mangoes! Best is to consult a diabetes educator or a dietician who will plan an
isocaloric diet for you & explain you how to manage your blood sugar levels
and VOILA your Mangoes are in place! But those who dont have
sugar ; can eat a whole mango daily and note
it’s also an excellent food as a pre & post workout meal!
So go grab a MANGO now..
References:-
· Muruganandan, S.; Srinivasan, K.; Gupta, S.; Gupta, P. K.; Lal, J.
Effect of mangiferin on hyperglycemia and atherogenicity in streptozotocin
diabetic rats. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2005, 97 (3), 497–501.
· Daud, Noor Huda, et al. “Mango extracts and the mango component
mangiferin promote endothelial cell migration.” Journal of agricultural
and food chemistry 58.8 (2010): 5181-5186.
·
https://www.livestrong.com/article/494489-glycemic-load-of-green-mangoes/
