Pear Cactus Helps to Control Blood Sugars

Eating nopales along with a traditional Mexican breakfast can help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar under control, a new study shows. Dr. Montserrat Bacardi-Gascon  from the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California in Tijuana, Mexico states that, Nopales are prickly pear cactus pads, and are common fare among people living in southern and central Mexico, available at any food market.

They sought to determine whether eating nopales, which have a very low glycemic index and are high in fiber, would reduce the post-meal rise in blood sugar among people with diabetes eating typical Mexican breakfasts.

The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly blood sugar (glucose) rises after meals. In general, low-fiber foods containing simple starches, for example candy, have a higher glycemic index than foods rich in fiber and more complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and vegetables.

After a 12-hour fast, 36 individuals with type 2 diabetes ate chilaquiles (a casserole of corn tortillas with cheese, beans and tomato sauce), scrambled egg and tomato burritos, or quesadillas with pinto beans and avocados, with or without 85 grams (about 3 ounces) of nopales.

For each of the breakfasts, the researchers found, adding nopales to the meal resulted in a significantly lower rise in blood sugar than when the meal was eaten without nopales.

The blood sugar response was 48 percent lower when nopales were eaten with quesadillas, while nopales cut the increase by 30 percent with chilaquiles and 20 percent with burritos.

"The promising results shown with these typical Mexican breakfasts provide Mexican patients with a broader and more culturally based choice for the management of diabetes," the researchers conclude.

Diabetes Care, May 2007.

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