Does apples affect diabetes and blood sugar?

Apples are nutritious fruits. However, in the composition of apples also contain a lot of carbs, which affect blood sugar levels. The article below will explain to you about the influence of apples on blood sugar levels and how to combine them into the diet if you have diabetes.

Apples are one of the popular fruits. The nutritional composition of apples contains fiber, vitamin C and good antioxidants. A medium-sized apple contains 95 calories, 25 grams of carbs and 14% of the daily vitamin C.

The majority of the nutrients of an apple are found in the apple peel. They also help you feel full without consuming a lot of calories. You can feel just enough after eating just one apple.

If you have diabetes, it is very important to control the amount of carbohydrates. Because of the three triglycerides – carbs, fats and proteins – in it, carbs most affect your blood sugar levels.

A medium-sized apple contains 25 grams of carbs, 4.4 grams of which is fiber. Fiber has the effect of slowing down the absorption of carbs, helping to prevent blood sugar levels from spikes in your body. Studies show that fiber has a protective effect on the body against type 2 diabetes and many types of fiber can help control blood sugar levels.

In summary, apples contain a lot of carbs, which can increase blood glucose levels. However, the fiber contained in apples helps stabilize blood sugar, and also brings many other health benefits.

Apples contain sugar, but most of the sugar contained in apples is fructose. Fructose in fruits has little effect on blood sugar levels. In addition, in apples contain fiber – the effect of slowing down the digestion and absorption of sugar. This means that the sugar enters the bloodstream slowly and does not suddenly increase blood sugar levels. Moreover, polyphenols, which are plant compounds found in apples, also have the effect of slowing down the digestion of carbs and reducing blood sugar levels. Blood glucose index (GI) and blood glucose load (GL) are useful tools for measuring how foods affect blood sugar levels. Apples score relatively low on both GI and GL scales, meaning they have little effect on an increase in blood sugar levels. According to figures from a study of 12 obese women showed that blood sugar levels were 50% lower after eating a meal with low GL, compared to a meal with high GL.

Therefore, apples have little effect on blood glucose, and are unlikely to cause spikes in blood sugar levels, even in diabetics.

There are two types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2. If you have type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not produce enough insulin – the hormone that transports sugar from the blood to the cells in your body. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body produces insulin but the cells in your body resist it. This is called insulin resistance. Eating apples regularly can reduce insulin resistance, leading to a decrease in blood sugar levels. This is because the polyphenols present in apples, which are found mainly in the apple peel, stimulate the pancreas to release insulin and help cells have the ability to absorb sugar.

In summary, apples contain plant compounds that can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce insulin resistance.

Some studies have found that eating apples reduces the risk of diabetes, women who eat apples every day have a 28% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than women who do not eat any apples. The antioxidants in apples can play an important role in reducing the risk of diabetes. Antioxidants are substances that prevent some harmful chemical reactions in the body. They have a lot of health benefits, including protecting your body from chronic disease.

A significant amount of the following antioxidants are found in apples:

• Quercetin: Slows down carb digestion, helps prevent blood sugar levels from spikes.
• Chlorogenic acid: Helps your body use sugar more effectively.
• Phlorizin: Slows down sugar absorption and reduces blood sugar levels.

• Eat the whole: To get all the benefits from the apple, eat it all.
• Avoid apple juice: The juice does not have the same benefits as eating the apple directly, since it has a higher amount of sugar and lacks fiber.
• Diet limit: Eat only one apple a day, if overeeaten can increase blood glucose levels.
• Daily fruit allocation: Combining a variety of fruits with a suitable daily amount can help keep your blood glucose stable.

Source: Healthline.com