Can okra lower blood sugar?

If blood sugar is too high, it will have an impact on health and easily cause problems such as diabetes. Okra, as a common food, is actually effective in helping to lower blood sugar. It can also help replenish other nutrients in the body and improve indigestion.

1. Okra is indeed one of the good choices of vegetables for diabetic patients. The sugar content of okra is 6.2%, which is relatively low and consists of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Oligosaccharides can promote the increase of beneficial intestinal flora and regulate gastrointestinal function. Okra is rich in cellulose. In addition, okra contains a large amount of mucus, which is rich in water-soluble dietary fiber. It can slow down the absorption of carbohydrates in the intestines, promote intestinal peristalsis, help defecation, prevent constipation, and it is also helpful to lower blood cholesterol. Therefore, okra is suitable for diabetic patients.

2. However, I need to explain here how okra works to lower blood sugar levels. Eating okra does help control blood sugar, but it is not as "magical" as the legend says. Its blood sugar-lowering effect comes from the fact that it is rich in water-soluble dietary fiber. Dietary fiber cannot be digested, broken down and absorbed in the human body. It can surround starch molecules, slow down the rate at which duodenal carbonyl enzymes break down starch, slow down blood sugar production, and prevent blood sugar from rising suddenly after a meal. In fact, dietary fiber acts as a sustained-release agent, just like a sustained-release capsule of a drug. However, for diabetic patients, the glucose content in our blood is still high. If we want to lower blood sugar levels, we still cannot do without the effects of insulin and hypoglycemic drugs.

3. Okra is divided into yellow okra and red okra. The main difference between them is the color, but the nutritional value is the same. Okra can be eaten cold, stir-fried, boiled, fried, or in soup. It has become a popular and best-selling vegetable in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Western countries. In many African countries, it has become the vegetable of choice for athletes and a health food for the elderly. In addition to diabetic patients, it is also very suitable for people with gastritis, gastric ulcers, and indigestion.