Positive Effects Of Bitter Melon For diabetic Patients

Positive Effects Of Bitter Melon For diabetic Patients: Good news for diabetics, because bitter melon is one type of vegetable that is good for diabetes. Bitter melon or Momordica charantia is not only nutritious, but also useful for lowering blood sugar levels.

Several studies support this theory. Although it has benefits, it does not mean that bitter melon can be a substitute for diabetes medication! You should still take your diabetes medication and follow your doctor’s advice.

To better understand how it works, check out the following review.

Nutritional content and nutrition of bitter melon

Despite its bitter taste, the health benefits of bitter melon cannot be ignored.

Quoting Indonesian Food Composition Data, here are the various nutritional contents of bitter melon, such as:

Calories: 19

Water: 94.4 g

Carbohydrates: 3.6 g

Fiber: 1.3 g

Calcium: 31 mg

Phosphorus: 65 mg

Potassium: 277.7 mg

Zinc: 0.8 mg

Beta carotene: 197 mcg

Vitamin B1: 0.18 mg

Vitamin C: 58 mg

Benefits of bitter melon for diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that causes high blood sugar levels. There are various treatments for diabetes, ranging from taking diabetes medications to insulin injections.

However, the main treatment for diabetes is actually lifestyle changes, especially diet. Speaking of food, one of the vegetables for diabetes that you can try is bitter melon.

Bitter melon for diabetes turns out to have the benefit of lowering blood sugar levels. This is because the content in bitter melon has a way of working like insulin. Insulin works by helping blood sugar levels enter the body’s cells to be converted into energy.

In addition, consuming bitter melon is also claimed to help body cells use glucose, then move it to the liver, muscles, and fat organs.

A 2011 study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology looked at people with type 2 diabetes who consumed up to 2,000 milligrams of bitter melon per day.

The study found that the benefit of bitter melon is that it has a modest hypoglycemic effect. Although it is able to lower blood sugar, the effect is relatively smaller than people who take blood sugar-lowering drugs.

Meanwhile, in a 2018 study, researchers found that compounds in bitter melon can help reduce blood glucose levels in mice.

As a result, there were changes in receptors that can improve blood sugar levels. However, this study was still limited to mice. Further research is needed in humans on a larger scale.

You should not make bitter melon the only herbal remedy for diabetes or stop treatment without discussion with your doctor.

How to consume bitter melon safely for diabetics

You can consult your doctor first, to find out if it is okay to consume bitter melon to maintain your diabetes condition.

Also, find out how much bitter melon you can consume each day. Here are some ways to consume bitter melon to help lower blood sugar levels in diabetics naturally:

Drink 50-100 milliliters of bitter melon juice for diabetes every day.

Consume about 2-3 ounces by sautéing or eating raw.

Boil it, then drink the water as tea.

Take supplements containing bitter melon.

When preparing it, remove the seeds first. Then, boil or soak them in salt water to help reduce the bitter taste.

It doesn’t hurt for you to consult your doctor first to find out how much bitter melon intake each day.

You need to be careful because too much intake can also cause side effects, such as:

Digestive problems

Vomiting and diarrhea

Too low blood sugar

Liver damage

Pregnant women should avoid consuming bitter melon, as it can increase the risk of bleeding, contractions, and miscarriage.