Crystal clear, sweet and juicy lychees quietly appear at the fruit stand.
Lychee is like a messenger of early summer, with a rich sweet fragrance, announcing the arrival of summer.
Some people say that lychee can lower blood sugar, and some people say that eating lychee will raise blood sugar, what is the truth?
Does lychee raise or lower blood sugar?
The glucose, fructose and sucrose in lychee give lychee its unique sweet taste, which also makes the sugar content of lychee relatively high.
The sugar content per 100 grams is about 16-20 grams, while the sugar content of an apple of the same weight is 10-14 grams.
The sugar in lychee is quickly absorbed and enters the blood circulation, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. This process is especially noticeable in a short period of time.
However, lychee contains a large amount of fructose, and after fructose enters the human body, it needs to be catalyzed by a series of invertase enzymes in the liver before it can be turned into glucose and oxidized by tissue cells. If too much lychee is consumed, the conversion of large amounts of fructose to glucose can stimulate insulin secretion, causing the liver to lower blood glucose concentrations and trigger a hypoglycemic response [1,2].
In addition, lychee contains two toxins, hypoglycine A and α-methylenecyclopropylglycine, which can cause problems in the sugar-producing process, and will block the body's energy self-help pathway, and when the glycogen in the body is depleted, it will lead to hypoglycemia.
The phenomenon of hypoglycemia caused by eating lychee is a manifestation of poisoning and is called lychee disease. If left untreated, lychee disease can cause convulsions, coma, and may even lead to shock and death.
So, don't expect lychee to be able to lower blood sugar healthily.
Despite this, lychee is still a delicious fruit that many sugar lovers love to eat.
So, how to eat lychee without affecting blood sugar stability?
Sugar friends eat lychees, you need to pay attention to 3 points
1. No more than 4 medium-sized lychees per day, weighing about 120 grams.
2. Avoid eating lychee on an empty stomach, when we are fasting, our blood sugar is already low, if we eat lychee at this time, especially if we eat lychee in large quantities and quickly, it is likely to cause lychee disease.
3. After eating lychee, you should pay close attention to blood sugar changes, and if you have low blood sugar (<3.9mmol/L), you should treat it in time, and seek medical attention as soon as possible if necessary.
Bibliography:
[1] Xu Lizhong, Lin Zhihai, Cheng Fangfang, et al. Fujian Medical Journal,2015,37(02):50-51.)
[2] Yang Zhizhong, Chen Yiming. Hunan Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2000(02):8-9.