Type 2 diabetes can be a 'devastating diagnosis' says expert

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Type 2 diabetes is your body’s way of telling you that your pancreas is not producing enough insulin or the insulin it does produce is not being taken up by the cells. Insulin regulates blood sugar – the main type of sugar found in blood. When blood sugar levels are unregulated, they rise. This acts as a catalyst for a range of serious complications.

Fortunately, you can mimic the effects of insulin by making sensible dietary decisions.

Specific items have been touted for their blood sugar-lowering prowess.

Although it may not seem overly appetising, taking down vinegar can cause blood sugar levels to plummet.

That is the key finding of a study published in the journal Nature.

Researchers sought to investigate the potential of vinegar supplementation as a means of lowering the glycaemic index (GI) of a bread meal.

The GI ranks carbohydrate foods according to their impact on blood sugar levels. Carbs such as white bread have a pronounced effect on blood sugar and therefore have a high GI rating.

The researchers also evaluated the possible dose-response effect of vinegar on blood sugar levels.

Twelve healthy volunteers participated and the tests were performed at Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, Lund University, Sweden.

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Three levels of vinegar were served with a portion of white wheat bread containing 50 g available carbohydrates as breakfast in randomised order after an overnight fast.

Bread served without vinegar was used as a comparison.

Blood samples were taken during 120 minutes for analysis of glucose and insulin. Satiety was measured with a subjective rating scale.

“A significant dose-response relation was seen at 30 min for blood glucose and serum insulin responses,” the researchers observed.

What’s more, the rating of satiety was directly related to the acetic acid level, implying the more vinegar you consume, the more you feel.

“The highest level of vinegar significantly lowered the blood glucose response at 30 and 45 minutes, the insulin response at 15 and 30 minutes,” the researchers wrote.

The low and intermediate levels of vinegar also lowered the 30 minute glucose and the 15 minute insulin responses significantly, they noted.

General tips for lowering blood sugar

In addition to eating well, physical exercise helps lower your blood sugar level.

According to the NHS, you should aim for 2.5 hours of activity a week.

“You can be active anywhere as long as what you’re doing gets you out of breath.”

This could be:

• Fast walking
• Climbing stairs
• Doing more strenuous housework or gardening.

“Losing weight (if you’re overweight) will make it easier for your body to lower your blood sugar level, and can improve your blood pressure and cholesterol,” notes the NHS.

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