Berries & Blood Sugar Control

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Berries & Blood Sugar Control

16 Feb 2023

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Do berries help reduce glycemic load and blood sugar spikes? Yes.

Articles by Dr Greger:

(2020) What About All the Sugar in Fruit?
(2017) Do Smoothies Cause Overly Rapid Sugar Absorption? Excerpt:

"Berries help control blood sugar so well they can counter the effects of sugar water even when they're pureed in a blender. Drinking blended berries isn't just neutral — it improves blood sugar control. Again, this is thought to be due to special phytonutrients that may slow sugar uptake into the bloodstream."

Videos by Dr Greger:

(2014) If Fructose Is Bad, What About Fruit?

(4 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Does the fructose naturally found in fruit and fruit juice have the same adverse effects as excess 'industrial fructose' (table sugar and high fructose corn syrup) and if not, why not?

An excerpt from this video:

"Adding berries can actually blunt the insulin spike from high glycemic foods. Here's s what white bread does to our insulin levels within 2 hours after eating it. Eat that same white bread with some berries, though and you're able to blunt the spike. So even though you've effectively added more sugars, in the form of berries, there's less of an insulin spike, which has a variety of potential short and long-term benefits. So if you're going to make pancakes, make sure they're blueberry pancakes."

(2015) Green Smoothies: What Does the Science Say?

(4 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Might disrupting the fiber by blending fruit result in overly rapid sugar absorption?" Excerpt:

Berries help control blood sugar so well they can counter the effects of sugar water even when they're pureed in a blender. Add blended berries in addition to the sugar water, and you don't get the hypoglycemic dip; you don't get that burst of fat in the blood. Drinking blended berries isn't just neutral, but improves blood sugar control. Again, thought to be due to special phytonutrients that may slow sugar uptake into the bloodstream.

Should Diabetics Consume Berries?

Do Whole Food Plant-Based doctors recommend berries if we have diabetes? Yes!

Articles by Dr Greger:

(2017) Can You Eat Too Much Fruit?
(2012) Amla: Indian Gooseberries vs. Cancer, Diabetes, And Cholesterol

Videos by Dr Greger:

(2012) Amla vs Diabetes

(3 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "For a dollar a month, Indian gooseberry (amla) powder may work as well as a leading diabetes drug — without the side effects."

(2021) Blueberries for a Diabetic Diet & DNA Repair

(4 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Blueberries are put to the test against insulin resistance, oxidation, and DNA damage."

(2018) How Much Fruit Is Too Much?

(4 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Does the threshold for toxicity of fructose apply to fruit or just to added industrial sugars such as sucrose and high fructose corn syrup?"

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