Ginger with diabetes mellitus

The diagnosis of "diabetes mellitus" for most people who contract this disease sounds like a verdict. It is believed that having diabetes, people are doomed to severe dietary restrictions, daily, tiring pills and insulin injections to stabilize the blood sugar balance. But the problems can be much less if you regularly use ginger in diabetes mellitus.

The beneficial effect of ginger on the human body lies in its active influence on metabolic processes. This plant serves as a certain catalyst that can lower blood cholesterol level, normalize digestibility and metabolism of fats, and helps normalize blood circulation. Ginger, has an anti-spasm, tonic, antibacterial and anthelmintic effect. It is also used in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism, it helps to heal ulcers and skin rashes.

In the chemical composition of ginger, there are more than 400 elements useful for the body. Among them is worth mentioning potassium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, as well as the entire complex of essential amino acids. This plant is often called a "vitamin bomb", because ginger is very rich in vitamins C, B1, B2, B, A, etc.

[1], [2], [3]

Contraindications to the use of ginger in diabetes mellitus

Despite the fact that ginger is a very popular plant in cooking and all its properties have long been studied, still it is not necessary to approach ginger treatment with a fraction of frivolity. Like all medicines, it should be taken in dosage, as they say - without fanaticism. Despite the fact that ginger in diabetes usually does not cause toxic side effects, some people may experience allergic reactions to this product.

Also, some patients may be more sensitive to the strong acute taste of this plant and suffer from severe heartburn during its use. Excessive fascination with ginger can also cause digestive disorders.

Contraindications when using ginger by pregnant women were not noted. They, however, should exercise increased caution to this plant, taking it in lower doses.

Prolonged use during pregnancy, as a rule, is also not recommended, but during breastfeeding - is contraindicated. In order to avoid side effects, it is recommended to consult with your doctor before starting a regular intake of ginger.

[4], [5], [6], [7]

Can Ginger Have Diabetes?

How sad it is to state, but diabetes mellitus in terms of the number of cases and rate of spread of the disease has already reached the scale of the epidemic. Almost 6.5% of people worldwide suffer from it. Diabetes mellitus is characterized by a defect in the secretion of insulin in the blood and / or a decreased sensitivity to insulin, which, as a result, causes chronic hyperglycemia.

Recent research has shown that eating ginger systematically with diabetes is very useful. The therapeutic effect on the patient's body is due to hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory actions of ginger.

The chemical substance gingerol, which is rich in this plant, stimulates the assimilation of glucose by muscle cells (β-cells), performing, in general, the basic function of insulin. A number of useful elements can prevent the emergence of various inflammations and diabetes-related chronic diseases (for example, ophthalmic, vascular diseases, liver and kidney diseases).

[8], [9], [10]

Ginger with type 1 diabetes

It is necessary to clarify the fact that the effectiveness of ginger in the fight against diabetes has been proven and passed clinical trials only in the case of the 2nd type of this disease. The influence of ginger on the organisms of patients with type 1 diabetes can turn out to be radically opposite. In diabetes mellitus type 1, the use of this plant daily or in large quantities to some patients in general is strictly contraindicated. So it is not recommended to include it in the diet without consulting with the doctor.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, is a form of the disease in which autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing β cells in the pancreas is observed, resulting in complete insulin dependence. So there is no need to talk about stimulating these cells with ginger, as in the case of type 2 diabetes.

In addition, with type 1 diabetes it is very important to adhere to a certain dose of insulin prescribed by the doctor that controls the level of sugar in the blood. Otherwise, there is a risk of a number of complications, both from a low sugar level and from an elevated blood level. Reducing sugar levels with ginger may cause seizures or loss of consciousness.

Another ginger with type 1 diabetes can be dangerous in that patients often have a sharp loss of body weight. Ginger, as is known, has strong fat burning properties.

Ginger with type 2 diabetes

The appearance of type 2 diabetes is associated with the fact that the body stops responding adequately to the amount of sugar in the blood. These "failures" in the body's work can be caused either by insulin deficiency in the blood, or by a reduced sensitivity to it. Although usually these two factors are interrelated.

Can ginger with type 2 diabetes replace tablets? Scientists have proven that they can. Moreover, in some cases, the use of this plant is even more effective.

During the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 64 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were observed. Half of the patients took sugar-reducing drugs, the other half - 2 grams of ginger per day for 60 days.

At the end of the study, the researchers found that patients who received ginger acquired significantly higher sensitivity to insulin, and the amount of insulin, LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides became much less. From these data, they concluded that ginger in type 2 diabetes mellitus can significantly reduce the risk of "secondary complications". Thus, the researchers proved that the extract of ginger contributes to the improvement of glucose uptake even without the active help of insulin.

Scientists have found that a substance that promotes such therapeutic properties of ginger is a chemical compound of phenols, known as gingerol. In particular, gingerol increases the activity of the GLUT4 protein, which stimulates glucose uptake by skeletal muscle. Deficiency of this particular protein in the body is one of the main causes of loss of sensitivity to insulin and an increase in the level of sugar in the blood in type 2 diabetes.

Useful properties of ginger in diabetes

One of the main beneficial properties of ginger in diabetes is the improvement of digestion. So, with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas can not continue to produce enough insulin, which prevents the sugar from being properly absorbed into the cells. In addition to the secretion of insulin, the pancreas has a number of digestive functions that also reproduce inadequately. Because of this, most diabetics suffer from chronic indigestion.

Ginger controls such side effects of diabetes as irregular bowel movements and upset stomach. Healthy digestion and the prevention of acidity is one of the main advantages in favor of ginger for therapeutic purposes.

The development of cataract, unfortunately, is a very common disease, the root cause of which is diabetes. Ginger in diabetes mellitus helps inhibit the progression of cataracts, and is also able to delay or minimize the chances of its occurrence.

In addition to the traditional uses of ginger, ginger extract was used to control the metabolic syndrome. It was found that with daily use of ginger, you can significantly reduce body weight, glucose, insulin, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, total cholesterol, phospholipids and free fatty acids in the blood.

The root of ginger in diabetes mellitus

Although the active use of ginger in diabetes has become relatively recent, its medicinal properties have been known for centuries. The root of ginger was used in the medicine of Ancient China, India and in many Arab countries. They were treated for colds, indigestion, headaches. Powerful anti-inflammatory substances, gingerol, which are quite a lot in the ginger, were used as an anesthetic. Ginger is very often used to relieve swelling and reduce pain in patients with arthritis and gout.

Also, the root of ginger in medicine was used to treat bronchitis, heartburn, with periodic pain in women, nausea and vomiting, ginger treated stomach upsets, diarrhea, fought with infections of the upper respiratory tract.

The root of ginger is also known since ancient times and in cooking. Seasoning from crushed dried ginger will give your dishes an exquisite taste, and you - health.

Use the root of ginger in diabetes mellitus can be in various forms - fresh, dried, pounded, etc. Very tasty and useful, for example, tea with pieces of ginger. From the root of ginger make various tinctures, it is boiled and baked. So for the entire history of this plant, there are a myriad of modifications to its use. The main thing is not to forget to use it daily in the diet, especially people with high blood sugar.

Treatment of diabetes mellitus with ginger

The fact that ginger in diabetes mellitus can be useful, proved another study conducted by Irish scientists. According to their data, taking only 1 gram of ground ginger 3 times a day for 8 weeks can significantly reduce blood sugar. Also, during the study, the following parameters were evaluated:

• HbA1c is an indicator of the damage of red blood cells caused by the oxidation of sugars (glycation);
• fructosamine is a harmful compound that is produced as a by-product from sugar reacted with an amine;
• blood sugar level (FBS);
• insulin level;
• function of β-cells (β%) -type of cells in the pancreas responsible for the production of insulin;
• insulin sensitivity (S%);
• quantitative insulin index for sensitivity testing (QUICKI).

The results of the study were surprisingly optimistic: the average blood sugar level with ginger intake decreased by 10.5%; HbA1c decreased from an average of 8.2 to an indicator of 7.7. Insulin resistance also decreased, and the QIUCKI index increased significantly. All other indicators either became within the permissible norms, or as near as possible to the norm.

Also it is worth recalling that when taking ginger with diabetes, you can also get rid of many other diseases that hurt you in parallel. A strong immunity will be a considerable achievement of ginger in the development of protective functions of the body.