Legumes can become precious allies to counteract increases in blood sugar and type 2 diabetes, both in the short and long term. This emerges from a very recent scientific research published in the journal Nutrients by a Canadian team (Thomas et al, Nutrients, 2023). Legumes and blood sugar, short-term benefitsScientists conducted research to analyze and compare the results of previous studies dedicated to the action of legumes on blood sugar.
What has emerged is that legumes have a beneficial effect in both the short and long term. In general, any legume-based meal induces a lower glycemic response than a meal based on white rice and white bread.
Even in the case of diagnosed type 2 diabetes, the glycemic response is lower if beans, lentils, and chickpeas are consumed compared to all non-legume foods. Furthermore, if beans are added to a dish prepared with rice, the postprandial blood sugar level will be lower than if the dish was served with rice alone.
Therefore, the addition of legumes, as an immediate effect, reduces the glycemic response of any meal. Legumes and blood sugar, have long-term benefits in the long term, including legumes in your diet brings important benefits, such as a reduction in insulin resistance and an improvement in postprandial blood sugar, fasting blood sugar, and glycated hemoglobin.
This last parameter indicates the average blood sugar concentrations in the last two to three months and therefore, compared to blood sugar alone, which indicates the sugar levels at the time of the blood test, it is a more reliable indicator of how any diabetes is being controlled or of a situation that requires intervention to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in subsequent years.
ConclusionsLegumes are a healthy food, they are cholesterol-free, they provide proteins, fiber, both soluble and insoluble, carbohydrates and therefore energy, group B vitamins, and minerals such as iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and phosphorus. Including legumes in your diet has significant advantages, including ensuring help in case of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and overweight. From today we know that legumes also help in controlling blood sugar and fighting type 2 diabetes, both in the short and long term.