Woman 2 Woman - Pumpkin Precious

Posted on

31 May 2016

| Last updated on 31 May 2016

Pumpkin Precious

Coming from a typical south asian genetic stock infested from both sides of the family with serious diabetes and its myriad complications and a sufferer of serious polycystic ovaries (thankfully no fertility issues) all latest info on this front has me all glued. So the fact that pumpkin extract is beneficial for diabetic patients had me reading the fine print.

Seriously, all the supporters of bitter gourd extract wake up. Its my humble pumpkin that wins hands down.

Pumpkin extract has insulin–like effects. It can help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar under control. Chinese researchers have shown that animals with drug–induced diabetes treated with pumpkin extract had lower blood glucose levels, greater insulin secretion, and more insulin–producing beta cells than diabetic rats that weren’t given the extract. This action may be due to the presence of both antioxidants and D–chiro–inositol, a molecule that mediates insulin activity.

Pumpkin extract is potentially a very good product for pre–diabetic persons, as well as those who have already developed diabetes. So PCO sufferers go ahead & indulge in your pumpkin soups, pies and my favorite curried/ stir fried spicy version. Mind the total calories though!

SEE ALSO: Check out the latest blog from Cathy of Slow Swimmers & Fried Eggs - Acupuncture, Yoga, Retrieval – Oh my ?!

And thankfully this is not just talk but based on proper scientific study in rats with diabetes who had 41 percent less insulin in their blood. They were given pumpkin extract for 30 days that boosted levels of the blood sugar–regulating hormone by 36 percent. And after 30 days of being fed pumpkin extract, diabetic rats had blood glucose levels similar to those of non-diabetic rats. So there is still hope for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome who are trying hard to control their weight by back breaking exercise & calorie control. Maybe the trick is to just add the humble pumpkin to their daily diet. I can hear my daughters sniggering.

Unfortunately, the data on diabetes is getting more and more morbid each day. The risk of increase tuberculosis among diabetics adds to our woes. So the advise now is ‘To control TB, prevent diabetes in the community’ especially in South Asia where rates of TB are amongst the highest and where the incidence of type 2 diabetes is rising sharply. So beware infertile women with blocked tubes due to TB infection maybe its their pre diabetic state which makes them prone to the infection.

It gets worse! The word of caution is to all the young patients with Pre diabetes, even at lower levels of impaired fasting glucose there is the considerable increase in cancer risk that is independent of the effects of obesity, suggests large new study published in Diabetologia. The risk may be increased particularly for liver and stomach or colorectal cancer, suggested the study.

Not very pleasant evidence coming through from all these medical researches on diabetes. So is the humble pumpkin going to be our saviour after all. Some hope to all those believers of the power of the bitter gourd juice, at last something to sweeten the bitter pill. Bring on the pumpkin….