What Foods Lower Blood Sugar?

aloe vera apple cider vinegar berberine bitter gourd blood glucose chromium cinnamon condiments fasting plasma glucose test fenugreek ginger gymnema hba1c test herbal supplements magnesium okra oral hypoglycemics prediabetes probiotics silymarin spices type-2 diabetes vegetables vitamin d Mar 23, 2024

A wooden board with a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables and a blood sugar monitor beside it

Prescription drugs that lower blood glucose levels are commonly used to treat type-2 diabetes (T2D). But these medications can have side effects, which range from gut issues to liver and heart problems.¹

If you have T2D or are at risk of having it, here’s some good news: Several foods can help lower your blood sugar naturally. In this article, we’ll group these foods into:

Main ingredients
Spices and condiments
Herbal extracts
Probiotics
Vitamins and minerals

Read on to discover blood-sugar-lowering foods and supplements that you can find at your local supermarket or drugstore!

Main ingredients

Bitter gourd is also called bitter melon, balsam pear, pare, or karela. It’s an edible part of a vine plant that thrives in Asia, South America, parts of Africa, and the Caribbean. You’ll find it in recipes like bitter gourd curry and stir-fried bitter gourd with eggs.^2,3

You can use bitter gourd not just for cooking, but also as a natural remedy for various health problems. For instance, it contains substances that reduce your blood sugar.³

Okra is sometimes also known as lady’s fingers. It’s widely grown in West Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Asia. In the Southern USA, it’s often served fried or as an ingredient in gumbo.⁴

In recent years, studies have confirmed that okra has blood-sugar-lowering effects. Beyond scientific research though, many people with T2D have long used okra as herbal medicine for T2D. They cut up okra and soak the pieces in water overnight. They report lowered blood sugar after drinking the juice the next morning.⁴

Okra contains substances that make your cells absorb glucose more. The vegetable has superior fiber content too. This fiber is believed to stabilize your blood glucose levels by making your intestinal tract absorb sugar at a slower rate.⁴

Aloe vera is a cactus-like plant that thrives in hot and dry temperatures. In the U.S., it’s grown in California, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico.⁵

You’ve likely heard of aloe vera extract being applied to the skin as treatment for sunburn, wounds, eczema, and acne. But some studies have focused on the oral uses of aloe to manage conditions like high blood sugar. In fact, research suggests that aloe may reduce fasting blood glucose (FBG) and HbA1c levels in patients with prediabetes and early non-treated T2D.^5,6

Aloe vera may lower your blood sugar in different ways. One of them is enhancing your cells’ absorption of glucose.⁷

Spices and condiments

Ginger is the thick underground stem of a plant native to India, China, Jamaica, and Africa. You’ll often find ginger in chicken soup and stir-fry dishes. You can make tea with it as well.⁸

Research shows that ginger may improve long-term control of blood sugar in people with T2D. The vegetable is rich in compounds that boost your muscle cells’ absorption of glucose.^8,9

Apple cider vinegar is made by mixing crushed apples with yeast. The yeast ferments the apples’ sugars and converts them into alcohol. Adding bacteria then turns the alcohol into acetic acid, the primary active compound in vinegar.¹⁰

Based on studies, taking apple cider vinegar helps lower FBG in patients with T2D. Regular intake of the vinegar seems to reduce HbA1c levels too. These effects are possible because acetic acid inhibits enzymes that break down carbohydrates into glucose.¹¹

When buying apple cider vinegar, be sure to get the raw, unfiltered type. This variant has “the mother”, a substance made up of settled yeast and bacteria. The mother contains probiotics, which we’ll cover in the next section.¹²

Cinnamon is often used in bread, pie, pudding, and cookies. This substance, which comes from the inner bark of trees native to Sri Lanka, is more than just a spice though.¹³

Research suggests that cinnamon can lower your fasting blood sugar if you have prediabetes or T2D. It’s been proposed that the spice increases glucose uptake by your muscle and fat tissues. Plus, cinnamon seems to promote glucose storage in your liver.^14,15

Fenugreek is a member of the pea family. This herb native to Europe and the Mediterranean is also grown in Asia and Africa today. The herb is a typical ingredient in curries and chutneys. It’s used to make imitation maple syrup as well. Meanwhile, dried fenugreek seeds are commonly used as a spice and may be mixed with flour for bread.¹⁶

In some studies, the extract of fenugreek seeds lowered FBG and post-meal blood glucose in patients with prediabetes and T2D. Fenugreek reduced HbA1C levels too.¹⁷

Herbal extracts

Gymnema grows natively in India and Africa. Often, the plant’s leaves are used to make tea, or as an ingredient in curry dishes.¹⁸

Gymnema is known as gurmur (“sugar destroyer”) in India, where it’s been used to treat diabetes for over 2000 years. The plant contains compounds that are similar in structure to glucose. These compounds act like glucose on your taste buds, thus stopping you from craving sugar. The same substances prevent your small intestine from absorbing glucose.^18,19

Silymarin is extracted from the fruit of the milk thistle plant, which comes from Europe but is now grown around the world.²⁰

Silymarin extract is a mixture of compounds with many health benefits. For instance, the extract has been found to reduce FBG and HbA1c levels in type-2 diabetic patients.^21,22

Berberine is a chemical found in plants like Oregon grape (also known as barberry) and a related shrub called tree turmeric (not to be confused with turmeric root). Oregon grape fruit can be used as an ingredient for jams or jellies, but berberine is most concentrated in the roots of both the Oregon grape and tree turmeric shrubs.²³

For a long time now, berberine has been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. This bitter yellow substance can help control how your body uses glucose. Indeed, one study involving rats showed that berberine slowed the progression of prediabetes to T2D. And in human studies, berberine helped lower HbA1c levels in type-2 diabetic patients.^23,24,25

Berberine stimulates the breakdown of glucose into energy. Plus, it restrains your liver from producing glucose.²⁵

Probiotics

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts with many health benefits. These microbes already live inside your body. You can add to your supply of friendly microbes by eating fermented foods like yogurt and kimchi. But for more concentrated amounts of probiotics, opt for capsule, liquid, or powder supplements.^26,27

Research shows that probiotics may help you control your blood sugar if you have prediabetes or T2D. Specifically, treatment with these microbes has been found to lower FBG and HbA1c in T2D patients.²⁸

Vitamins and minerals

Vitamin D is both a nutrient and a hormone that your body makes. Also known as calciferol, it helps your body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus, which are vital for building your bones. Vitamin D is essential for your brain health, for controlling infections, and for reducing inflammation.^29,30

A few foods — for instance, fatty fish, egg yolks, and mushrooms — are naturally high in Vitamin D. Since it can be hard to get enough Vitamin D from food, most people take it as supplements.²⁹

Based on data from clinical trials, adults with prediabetes can reduce their risk of developing T2D by taking Vitamin D supplements daily. Other studies showed that Vitamin D decreases HbA1C levels in T2D patients.^29,30

Magnesium is a mineral you can get from leafy green vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. It helps your heart, bones, muscles, nerves, and other vital body parts run smoothly. Indeed, getting enough magnesium can protect you from many health problems, including high blood sugar.^31,32

Research shows that if you have T2D or you’re at risk of the condition, taking magnesium daily can lower your FBG and post-meal blood sugar levels. Magnesium supplements can help reduce your HbA1c levels too.^33,34

Chromium is a trace mineral found in foods like grains, fruits, vegetables, and meats. You can also get in supplement forms, such as chromium picolinate and chromium polynicotinate.³⁵

Based on studies, chromium supplements lower FBG and HbA1c levels in people with T2D. Chromium helps your cells absorb glucose better.^36,37

Conclusion

Certain foods can help reduce your blood glucose levels in a natural way. They include bitter gourd, okra, aloe vera, ginger, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, fenugreek, gymnema, silymarin, and berberine.

A few supplements can also be useful in lowering your blood sugar. Examples are probiotics, as well as Vitamin D, chromium, and magnesium.

There are several ways that foods and supplements can help regulate your blood glucose. Some help your cells absorb glucose better. Others work by slowing the breakdown of carbs into glucose.

Indeed, your diet is the main lifestyle factor you can change to control your blood sugar and fight T2D. Want to know more about managing — or better yet, reversing — this chronic disease? Sign up for the Diabetes Diet Solution now.

References