In this YouTube Live session, functional‑medicine specialist Dr. Preeti Nanda Sibal presents a data‑driven overview of how fruits and vegetables affect type‑2 diabetes (T2DM). She cites epidemiological studies (e.g., Nurses’ Health Study) showing that each additional daily serving of fruit lowers T2DM incidence by ~6% and that modest increases in green leafy vegetables cut risk by ~13%, attributing benefits to fiber, low energy density, vitamin C, carotenoids, magnesium, and other phytochemicals. She warns that fructose‑rich sweetened juices raise visceral fat, uric acid, and insulin resistance, referencing the Black Women’s Health Study. The talk then examines three common fruits in detail: mango (rich in mangiferin, vitamin E/C, carotenoids; animal studies report up to 66 % lower blood glucose and strong hypoglycemic effects at 250 mg/kg), banana (unripe banana’s high starch yields a lower glycemic index than ripe banana, both still lower than a slice of bread), and papaya (similar glycemic index to mango but a higher insulinemic response, making mango preferable for those without insulin testing). Dr. Sibal also highlights practical ways to use fruit peels (drying and grinding mango peel, freezing lemon peel) for added antioxidants. The session ends with audience engagement prompts, a call to share the information, and contact details for further questions.
Chapters
Hi friends, today is day 3 of our live on Bend Your Diabetes with Ben's approach, and today I am going to take up a topic which I think all of you have been thinking about— fruits for diabetics. And I am not going to share with you what I think, I am going to share with you the science, actual science, which has been proven, tested, and you can really trust it. I am Dr. Preeti Nanda Sibal, functional medicine expert, and I work on diabetes and obesity reversal, reversal. And yes, I know you all know it, diabetes is completely reversible now. Gone are the days when we used to think once a diabetic, always a diabetic. I'm going to share my screen with you. So that you can see some of the facts. Sorry. So studies have shown that vegetables and fruits, when taken by diabetics, decrease the rate of type 2 diabetes by 6% if you increase 1 serving of fruit every day. And you know what? If you add green leafy vegetables, 0.2 servings per day, if you increase that increases your type 2 diabetes incidence by 13%. A study was done, Nurses Health Study, where results showed that there is an inverse relationship between fruit intake and green leafy vegetables. Now, why are green leafy vegetables so effective? Because they are rich in fiber, they are low energy density and glycemic load, And they have lots of bioactive phytochemicals, especially vitamin C and carotenoids. They are full of antioxidants. And remember, friends, magnesium is very, very important for type 2 diabetics. So what is vitamin C? In corona days, we all know vitamin C is very important, and all of us are taking lemon water or juices or vegetables to have vitamin C during the day. It was found that the lowest quantile of vitamin C clients, those patients who had lowest level of vitamin C, had 62% higher chances of becoming a diabetic. Don't forget, 62%. And now look at this, lot of you think that fructose— fruits have fructose, so you can eat it. Friends, very, very difficult to say because fructose actually leads to visceral adipose tissue, and we all know visceral adipose tissue is the active fat in our abdomen, and it is now thought to be an active endocrine organ. So please, and it is, you, it is known to increase uric acid levels, obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and type 2 diabetes. Black Women's Health Study showed that original 100% fruit juices were okay for diabetics, but 80% sweetened and 20% unsweetened juice, which we generally find in the market—orange juice, grape juice—they increase the chances of type 2 diabetes. So now let's see what do we have about fruits. The most common fruit and maximum queries we get about is for mango, our king of fruit, especially the summer king. You know, there are 30 species of tropical mangoes available, and mango is the national fruit of Bangladesh. It is cultivated over 3.7 million hectares worldwide, and it is the second position as a tropical crop. And hold your breath, because now what I'm going to tell you is going to make you think. Mango has anti-diabetic, antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory properties, and antibacterial, antifungal, antihelminthic, antiparasitic, anti-cancer, anti-bone resorption, antispasmodic, antidiarrheal, immunomodulation, hyperlipidemic, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, and it is being studied for all these things. And friends, Bhomik et al. in 2009 showed in a study that 250 mg per kg body weight of mango leads to strong hypoglycemic effect in type 2 diabetes, means it decreases the sugar levels significantly. The peel of mango has vitamin E, vitamin C, carotenoid, so that's very effective. And blood glucose levels, when studied in rats who were given mango for 90 days, were 66% lower than controls. 66%, friends, it is not something very small. Now let's look at What else happens when we take mango? Mango has a product called magiferin and its metabolites. They together work in giving anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and hypoglycemic effects. So magiferin is— gets converted into usanthone, and this results in decreasing your sugar levels. But this is not all. I am going to now stop sharing my screen and talk to you face to face. Yes, you must be thinking, if I can eat mango, then can I eat banana too? Of course, yes. Studies have shown that unripe banana, ripe banana have different types of glucose. So unripe banana has 80% starch which takes time to get digested, and hence its glycemic index is less than the ripe banana. But let me tell you, friends, even the ripe banana glycemic index is less than your one piece of bread. So if you are having bread, you might as well have banana much more comfortably and be sure that your sugar levels are going to come down. Okay, if this excites you and you are going to peel a banana or a mango and eat it after many years because you have been a diabetic and someone told you these are not the fruits for you, please mention your comment after when you eat it. It will give us energy and I will know what is happening at your end. And this is not all. Studies have shown that a lot of doctors give papaya. So they, they have seen that glycemic index of papaya and mango are same, right? And most of the decisions of which food and fruit we can eat, especially when we have diabetes, is based on glycemic index and glycemic load. Interestingly, when this study was done, what was found? Oh yes, we can have banana and thyroid also. So what was found was that insulinemic effects, means the fruit amount of insulin the same quantity of fruit releases, is very, very important. Why? Because in diabetics, there are patients who have no insulin, there are patients whose insulin levels are normal, and there are patients who are insulin resistant and therefore their insulin levels are high. Until and unless you know what is their fasting insulin and postprandial insulin after 100 grams of glucose— remember, papaya increases insulin more than Mango. So if you do not have the blood test reports and you are wanting to choose between mango and papaya, what is it that you should have? Mango. So guys, go peel the— cut that mango, make the shake, and eat it. And how can we do peels? Dry the peel in the mic— in the OTG. And you can grind it and use it in different ways. Peels have much, much more benefits than otherwise, but remember, the pulp is also rich in antioxidants, in carotenoids, in ellacin, in magnificin, which converts into xanthones and helps your body manage insulin and glucose better. And if you've learned something new today, please tag 2 of your friends on sharing this on your Insta post. Share this link with your family and friends and join me tomorrow for my next YouTube Live for diabetics. Have a great day and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. And if anybody wants to reach out to me, you have my phone number in the chat box for any more questions. I am available, Dr. Preeti, live with you on YouTube. Thank you. No, you shouldn't throw mango peels. Actually, a lot of fruit peels we shouldn't throw. Pomegranate, for example, is one of them. Lemon, most important. Don't throw lemon peel, guys. Just freeze it, grate it, and use it in your salads, baking, dals, and vegetables.
