Does eating fruit on an empty stomach raise blood sugar?

What effect does eating fruit on an empty stomach have on our health? Does it raise blood sugar, or is this a common misconception?

What is the effect of fasting on our health? Does this work increase blood sugar or is this a popular and wrong belief?

Ambassador Arjan - Social group: Should we eat fruit on an empty stomach or not? Some believe that eating sweet fruits such as bananas, grapes, and mangoes on an empty stomach can increase blood sugar dramatically and increase the risk of diabetes in the long run. There are also common recommendations that suggest that fruit must be consumed with protein or nuts to avoid blood sugar fluctuations. But how much scientific support do these warnings have?

Doctors do not provide any forbidden list of fruits to consume on an empty stomach. Dr. Alireza Astaghami, a specialist in endocrinology and metabolism and a professor at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, explains that the main problem is not fasting; Rather, factors such as the amount of carbohydrates, the amount of fiber, the form of fruit consumption and the general condition of a person's blood sugar are important.

"Fruit contains fructose sugar and can definitely raise blood sugar," says Tasgami. But in a healthy person, whether we eat the fruit on an empty stomach or at any other time, the body can usually control this increase in sugar well and return it to the normal range.

In healthy people, the normal pancreas can secrete the necessary insulin on time. Therefore, eating fruit on an empty stomach alone does not cause any problems. Of course, the conditions are different in people with diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, blood sugar control is more difficult due to insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion. However, if the fruit is consumed within the allowed limit, a person with type 2 diabetes can eat it for breakfast or even on an empty stomach.

This endocrinologist emphasizes that there is no fruit that is forbidden for people to eat while fasting. For example, a diabetic person is recommended to consume 3 units of fruit per day. If this amount is observed, fasting or not does not make much difference. In many countries, eating fruit for breakfast is part of a healthy and balanced diet.

One of the common recommendations for blood sugar control is to consume fruit with protein or nuts to avoid sudden sugar spikes. "In healthy people, there is no such necessity, because the natural pancreas can compensate for the increase in blood sugar," says Dr. Tastagami about this issue.

The fiber in fruits and vegetables can delay the absorption of food to some extent, resulting in a slower rise in blood sugar. Also, fatty foods can slow gastric emptying and delay blood sugar spikes. Even eating butter may cause blood sugar to rise two hours after a meal instead of one.

This delay in blood sugar increase is more important for people who inject insulin. If the rise in blood sugar is delayed due to the consumption of fat or fiber, the effect of the injected insulin may wear off sooner. In these cases, the person may need to inject insulin twice; One part before the meal and the other part about two hours after the meal to cover the later increase in blood sugar.

Tasgami emphasizes that consuming protein, fiber or fat along with fruit does not mean that blood sugar will no longer increase, but only that the time of its increase will be delayed.

If a person prefers to eat fruit before breakfast, choosing whole and high-fiber fruits is a good option. Berries, strawberries, apples, pears, kiwis and oranges are usually best for better blood sugar control. Of course, this does not mean special therapeutic properties in the fasting state; Eating an apple on an empty stomach does not have a special advantage in preventing diabetes compared to eating the same apple at another time, and what matters is the amount of consumption.

Fruits such as grapes, ripe bananas, mangoes, pineapples and watermelons, if consumed in large quantities, can introduce significant carbohydrates into the body and raise blood sugar more. Therefore, it is not the issue of banning these fruits, but the amount of consumption that is important.

Overall, having diabetes does not mean eliminating fruit from your diet. A person with diabetes can eat fruit, but must consider its carbohydrate content and blood sugar control status. Consuming fruit in the permitted amount does not prevent fasting by itself.

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