Wine has many health-promoting properties. It stimulates the secretion of digestive enzymes, reduces the risk of heart disease, lowers cholesterol, and has anti-cancer properties. And, as it turns out, also anti-diabetic. This drink, thanks to the polyphenols contained in it, also allows you to control the level of glucose in the blood.
- Red wine can regulate and even lower blood sugar by inhibiting its absorption
- This is due to polyphenols inhibiting the activity of enzymes responsible for the breakdown of complex carbohydrates
- Black tea also has similar properties
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Type 2 diabetes
Drinking alcohol is not healthy, it has been known for a long time. There are, however, some positive aspects of drinking alcohol, especially wine. Moderate drinking of this drink can benefit your heart and lungs. There are also studies that talk about the beneficial effects of wine on people with type 2 diabetes.
This condition occurs when the pancreas cannot make enough insulin to deliver glucose from the blood to the cells, or when insulin does not work properly and cells in the body do not respond to it. High blood sugar, in turn, can have very dangerous effects. Hyperglycaemia can damage many organs and parts of the body, including the kidneys, feet, and the circulatory system.
And here we come to wine. Research has shown that red wine helps control blood glucose by slowing its absorption by the gut.
How does wine affect sugar?
This is because the inhibitors of alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase, enzymes responsible for the breakdown of complex carbohydrates, contained in plant-based products, reduce the absorption of these carbohydrates and lower postprandial glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.
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A study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amhers looked at white and red wines, as well as four types of teas: black, oolong, white, and green. The results, published in the Journal of Food Biochemistry, indicated that “all randomly selected red wines had significantly greater alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity compared to white wine”. Red wine was able to inhibit the activity of this enzyme by almost 100%. In the case of white wine, it was 20 percent.
This activity was correlated with the content of polyphenol antioxidants and antioxidant activity.
In the case of teas, black was the strongest to reduce alpha-glucosidase activity, followed by white and oolong.
Diabetes and alcohol
When writing about the properties of red wine, we would also like to remind you that people suffering from diabetes should be especially careful with alcohol. This does not immediately mean absolute abstinence. In case of well-controlled blood glucose, a moderate amount of alcohol may be consumed before, during, or immediately after a meal.
There are better and worse alcohols for diabetics. The first group includes mainly dry and semi-dry wine. Diabetics should avoid beer, cider, tinctures, sweet wines and liqueurs.
On the other hand, high-percentage alcohols, such as vodka or whiskey, contain a lower amount of carbohydrates, but on the other hand, they are often served in combination – as drinks – with much sweeter drinks.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time, we asked Orina Krajewska what, according to her, a holistic approach to health is. How to combine the three aspects – body, spirit and mind to enjoy balance and good health? You will hear about this and many other aspects of the topic in the latest episode of our podcast.