Beets And Diabetes: A Healthy Marriage?

Okay, so first of all, let's get familiar with what vegetable we are actually talking about!

Often referred to as one of the original 'superfoods', beets are a jewel-colored root vegetable that have been used for centuries not only because they taste good but also for the widespread beneficial effects that they can have on a variety of issues and conditions, from fever to constipation and everything in between!

Beets are one of the non-starchy vegetables, high in fiber and although they have a medium glycemic index (61), their actual glycemic load is 5 which is very low. (This is super important for people with diabetes as it means that beets do not have a major effect on blood sugar levels because the total carb amount in each serving is low.)

One cup of beets contains 60 calories made of

• 88 % water

• 2.2g protein

• 13.1g carbohydrates

• 9.3g sugar

• 0.4g fiber

• 0.3g fat

They promise so many health benefits because they are packed full of things like folate (vitamin B9), potassium, manganese, vitamin C, iron and other nutrients that are vital to maintaining general good health.

In particular, though, it has been proven that eating beets and drinking beet juice is especially helpful for people with diabetes. So why exactly is this link between diabetes and beets such a strong one?

The keyword in this situation is antioxidants. Beets and beetroot juice have been proven to be incredibly high in antioxidants and these are associated with a number of health benefits that link beetroot and diabetes type 2.

Let's take a look at some of the most significant benefits that a diabetes patient can receive when they introduce drinking beetroot juice to their diet as well as eating beets on a regular basis.

Beets and beet juice are rich in something called phytochemicals. Phytochemicals have been shown to be able to regulate the effect that glucose and insulin have on human bodies.

One particular study in 2014 investigated the effects that beet juice had on blood glucose levels and blood glucose tolerance after consumption. It found that drinking beetroot juice in amounts of 225 ml (which is less than half a cup), could produce a significant drop in a person's post-meal glucose levels.

What this essentially means is that people who consumed beet juice were much better able to control their glucose tolerance in a natural way, and this is obviously a game-changer with diabetes.

It has been established many times in significant studies that eating beets and drinking beetroot juice genuinely puts you at lower risk of chronic diseases and wider common complications from chronic disease.

This is because powerful antioxidants help to prevent increased risk of disease by fighting the free radicals that can cause cell damage and nerve damage. This is known as oxidative stress and has been linked to numerous serious health problems ranging from heart disease to cancer.

Beets and beetroot juice contain an average of 1.7 millimoles of antioxidants per 3.5 ounces, and this high amount can help with things like inflammation.

The less inflamed your body is, the healthier your blood vessels will be able to work, which in turn will help with both lower blood pressure or high blood pressure in equal measure.

As people with diabetes know, reducing blood pressure is one of the most important things to do. And blood pressure levels in both obese and nonobese adults can be a worry when diabetes is in the picture.

Diabetes causes harmful damage to your small blood vessels and large blood vessels. Obviously, your vessels are an integral part of your system, and problems in this area can lead to complications in your eyes, kidneys, heart, and pretty much every other vital organ.

Once again, it is antioxidants to the rescue, as research suggests that beetroot juice is good for diabetes because when you consume beetroot you can reduce the risk of complications including:

• kidney disease and kidney stones

• cardiovascular disease

• retinopathy

• diabetic foot disease and neuropathy

• nerve damage

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that the metabolites that are found in high concentrations of beets and beet juice can have an impact on reducing a person's insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance.

In a placebo-controlled study along with healthy volunteers, obese patients who drank concurrent beet juice along with carbohydrate ingestion demonstrated a much lower insulin resistance compared to the non-obese patients who did the same along with high dietary nitrate foods.

As we know, a resistance to insulin is the number one problem for people with diabetes, so if beetroot juice can have a positive impact by improving the way in which your body is able to handle insulin and use it, then that is only ever going to be a positive more when it comes things like blood pressure, blood sugar, early phase insulin response, improving blood circulation, heart disease, and various other related medical conditions.

High blood pressure a common complication in diabetes patients. Thankfully, research has suggested that if you consume beetroot on a regular basis, it can actively help with the sustained lowering of blood pressure.

The American Diabetes Association revealed that a 2013 study discovered that hypertensive patients experienced a significant drop in blood pressure after just one cup of consumed beet juice.

The antioxidants in beetroot are plant compounds like alpha lipoic acid, betanin and vulgaxanthin and also inorganic nitrates(nitric oxide). Any source of inorganic nitrate is particularly associated with sustained blood pressure lowering.

Beets are a great form of dietary nitrate, and we need dietary nitrate supplementation along with essential nutrients for the maximum benefits to enable our vessels to work properly and our blood circulation to be improved.