On a hot, sultry day, nothing feels more refreshing than a glass of chilled sugarcane juice. But if you are a diabetic, such that your blood sugar levels are too high (according to World Health Organization, more than 126 mg/dL or 7 mmol/L or higher on two separate tests), you need to be mindful of your diet. Even simple rehydrating drinks like sugarcane juice can lead your blood glucose levels to spike.
Is sugarcane juice healthy?
A glass of sugarcane juice (240ml) comes with 180 calories, 30 grams of sugar, and is also high in dietary fibre, said Dr Paula Goel, consultant pediatrician, adolescent physician and the founder of Fayth Clinic. “Sugarcane juice comprises 70-75 per cent water, 13-15 per cent sucrose, and 10-15 per cent fibre. It contains various phytochemicals including phenolic compounds, plant sterols, and policosanols. These phytochemicals have antioxidants, cholesterol-lowering properties, and other potential health benefits. It also comes with an abundance of nutrients that includes: potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, magnesium, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, and several amino acids,” said Dr Goel.
“Additionally,” she added, sugarcane juice “is an immunity booster, improves skin health, and helps in decreasing inflammation. Sugarcane juice has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and diuretic effects.”
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It is important to keep check on your blood sugar levels (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
How is sugarcane juice related to blood sugar spike?
Despite these benefits, “it should not be consumed freely by people with diabetes as it is high in natural sugar or sucrose”. “Diabetics should be very careful while consuming sugarcane juice as the chances of blood sugar spiking and then falling are high after consumption. Sugarcane contains higher sucrose levels than fructose (which is mostly found in fruits and does not acutely raise blood glucose),” Dr Goel told indianexpress.com.
Diabetics have insulin resistance, which means while insulin is produced in the body, the cells in the muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond well to it and can’t easily absorb glucose from the blood, explained Ayurveda expert Dr Smita Naram, co-founder of Ayushakti. ” As a result, the pancreas makes more insulin to help glucose enter the cells which leads them to get overworked due to sugar spikes, and creates insulin insufficiency in the long run,” she added. The instant sugar rush may make it difficult to keep sugar stable, even if you are on prescription for diabetes, especially, insulin-dependent people who will need higher doses (even when the source of sugar is natural),” Dr Naram said.
“Finally, that high dose results in hypoglycemia, which is life-threatening. To manage that, they will require more sugar, and will end up with high average sugar, HBA1C, even if fasting sugar is controlled,” said Dr Naram.
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According to her, the trick lies in making dietary changes that help keep HBA1C (test that measures the amount of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin) stable. “Diabetics must stay away from all high sugar foods, natural or white sugar and focus on vegetables, a protein diet with low amounts of complex carbs, which releases sugar slowly and doesn’t create sugar rush in our system,” Dr Naram mentioned.
However, while other refined sugar/carbs food items, like rice, can be balanced with proteins, consuming just sugarcane juice can be harmful, suggested Dr Rohini Patil, MBBS, nutritionist and CEO of Nutracy Lifestyle. “As such, people with fasting sugar level above 140 mg/dL should avoid it completely, while those who have blood sugar level below 140 mg/dL can have it in moderation,” said Dr Patil.
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While the glycemic index of sugar cane is 43, “which is not very high”, only a small quantity of it may be recommended to be given owing to its other health benefits including its ability to improve gut health as a natural laxative, said Dr Goel.
Things to keep in mind when having sugarcane juice, according to Dr Patil
*Add some lemon, ginger juice before consuming
*Have it with some protein-rich snack like dry fruits, nuts or seeds rather than on an empty stomach
*Don’t consume more than 200 ml
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