This summer is very hot. How hot is it? Stove cities appeared one after another. Even if six ribs were broken in a car accident, they still had to run to the shade of a tree and lie down again. It was really sad and funny. At this time, the cool and delicious watermelon has becom

This summer is very hot. How hot is it? Stove cities appeared one after another. Even if six ribs were broken in a car accident, they still had to run to the shade of a tree and lie down again. It was really sad and funny. At this time, the cool and delicious watermelon has become a must-have product for cooling down and relieving heat every day. Many people have to buy a watermelon to eat after get off work every day. If they don't eat it for a day, they feel like they are missing something.

So here comes the question. A friend asked me if I am a diabetic patient. Can I eat watermelon? I really want to eat it...

Here, this pharmacist can tell you with certainty that diabetics can eat watermelon. (We mainly use 2 type diabetes as an example.)

Most people think that diabetics cannot eat watermelon. They probably think that watermelon is too sweet, has high sugar content, and is also high in calories. But in fact, the sugar content of watermelon is not high, because watermelon contains a lot of water, and its sugar content is only 5.8%, which is an low-sugar food. In addition, watermelon has only 26 calories, making it a low-calorie food.

Let’s use two concepts to understand why diabetics can eat watermelon.

The first concept is called, glycemic index (GI) , also known as glycemic index , which refers to the relative speed of blood sugar rise within two hours after food enters the human body.

Although some foods contain high sugar, they cause blood sugar to rise slowly, while some foods, although they contain little sugar, may cause blood sugar to rise rapidly.

The second one is Glycemic load (GL) , GL is the carbohydrates of the food multiplied by the glycemic index of the food, which is: GL = GI × carbohydrate content (grams) / 100.

GL takes into account both the "quality" of all carbohydrates contained in the food and the total amount of carbohydrates contained in the food, truly reflecting the blood sugar response effect of the food. If the glycemic load (GL) is >20, it is a high glycemic load food. A glycemic load (GL) of 10 to 20 is a medium glycemic load food. A glycemic load (GL) of less than 10 is a low glycemic load food.

For the watermelon we eat, its glycemic index (GI) is 72, which is a high glycemic index food. This may be related to the fact that the sugar contained in watermelon is mostly glucose and sucrose, while fructose is less; However, the glycemic load (GL) of watermelon is relatively low, only 4.2, which is a low-load food. In other words, eating watermelon will immediately increase blood sugar, but the overall increase will not be much, so it will not have a big impact on blood sugar.

If this is the case, can diabetic patients eat watermelon at will?

Of course, this is not possible. It is not recommended for normal people to eat too much watermelon at one time, let alone diabetics. If you eat too much at one time, quantitative changes will lead to qualitative changes, which may cause significant increases in blood sugar, which is very detrimental to sugar control, so you still have to keep your mouth shut and just eat in moderation.

What problems will occur if a diabetic patient really eats too much watermelon at one time?

Generally speaking, diabetics are very careful not to eat too much watermelon at one time. But if someone really eats watermelon even though their blood sugar is very high, it may cause ketoacidosis .

The so-called ketoacidosis is due to the serious lack of insulin in the body. Cells cannot use glucose and can only use other substances-fat function. Fat is like nuclear energy in the human body, with extremely high functions, but it can produce fatal "pollution" - namely, three substances: β-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, and acetone. These three substances are collectively called " ketone body ". These "pollutants" are acidic. When too much is produced and the body cannot metabolize and excrete it normally, it will accumulate in the body and change the PH value in the body. When pH <7.3>mmol/L, ketoacidosis will occur.

Ketoacidosis will have symptoms such as polydipsia, polydipsia, polyuria, and fatigue in the early stage. Later, some people will have loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. In further development, they will have headache, drowsiness, irritability, deep and fast breathing, and difficulty in exhalation. The smell of rotten apples can cause coma or death in severe cases.

What’s even more frightening is that some patients’ clinical manifestations are not obvious. A few people present with abdominal pain, which is very similar to acute abdomen . The first-diagnosis doctor is also very difficult, and it is easy to misdiagnose and miss diagnosis. If the patient is accompanied by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, etc. Chronic diseases are likely to cause misfortune.

Therefore, we must be a qualified melon and sugar lover. Even if we can eat watermelon, we must control the "quantity". The Nutrition Society recommends that diabetic patients consume 200 grams of fruit per day. To give a simple estimate, it is just one or two slices of watermelon, which is enough to satisfy your cravings. You cannot hold onto the watermelon and eat it all the time!