For preventing or living well with type-2 diabetes, it is often thought that carbohydrates are best left out of meals. But studies suggest that whole grains may actually be worth adding to a diet for people with diabetes to achieve good blood sugar control.
Specifically, sorghum, millet, and other seeded grasses grown as cereal crops may help lower the risk of developing type-2 diabetes and lower HbA1c, or average blood sugar, over about three months in individuals managing diabetes.
It is safe and okay for diabetics to have these cereals without any chances of experiencing extreme hikes in their blood sugar levels.
A study that looked at the effect of the consumption of a drink containing extruded sorghum, also called guinea corn, on the reducing blood sugar level in the subsequent meal reveals that including sorghum in diets can contribute to keeping the blood sugar levels close to normal levels.
The results published in the paper “Consumption of a drink containing extruded sorghum reduces the glycemic response of the subsequent meal” in the European Journal of Nutrition revealed that sorghum as a drink has the potential to be used in the treatment of patients with diabetes or pre-diabetes.
Sorghum was offered as a drink to be more easily consumed, and many people use sorghum for digestion problems, HIV/AIDS, obesity, and other conditions, although there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Also, in another study, the researchers found that millet influenced short-term blood sugar levels, as well as A1C. The study published in July 2021 in Frontiers in Nutrition said that for people with diabetes, regular consumption of millets reduced average fasting blood sugar levels by 12 percent and decreased average post-meal blood sugar levels by 15 percent.
When people had prediabetes, or slightly elevated blood sugar that is not high enough for a full-blown diabetes diagnosis, millet reduced average A1C levels by 17 percent. This is enough for these individuals to have blood sugar in a normal, healthy range, the study also found.
That is because these grains have a lower glycemic index than alternatives such as white rice and refined wheat. Millet has a mean glycemic index (GI) of 52.7, significantly lower than white rice (GI 71.7) and refined wheat (GI 74.2).
Glycemic index scores range from one to 100, with higher scores indicating foods that produce bigger and faster spikes in blood sugar after a meal because they are quickly digested.
Moreover, research has already proven that the consumption of foods made with millet and sorghum not only reduces blood sugar levels but also improves the effectiveness of medications like Glibenclamide and Metformin in controlling blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes.
A study that looked at the synergistic effects of sorghum extract and metformin on blood sugar levels in the January edition of the Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition said that when taken together, this will not only enhance the efficacy of metformin treatment but further promote insulin sensitivity and facilitate glucose uptake by cells.
Optimal synergistic effects were found at a sorghum extract and metformin ratio of 4:6 at concentrations of 10 μg/mL and 100 μM, respectively. Sorghum extract, metformin, and the combination of sorghum extract and metformin increased glucose consumption by 32 percent, 48 percent, and 77 percent, respectively.
Another study, published in September 2020 in the Nigerian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, reported a remarkable reduction in the average fasting blood sugar also with combining glibenclamide with a sorghum-formulated diet.
The study looked at the combined effect of a sorghum-formulated diet and glibenclamide on diabetes under laboratory conditions.
It also indicated a significant reduction in total cholesterol and fat levels in groups given the combined treatment as compared to groups given single treatments of diet or glibenclamide.
Moreover, at weeks three and four of treatment with high, moderate, and low doses of the combined treatment with glibenclamide and a sorghum-formulated diet, the synergistic effect was observed.
The researchers declared, “Evidence from the present study showed that the combined treatment with a low glycemic index diet (LGID) and glibenclamide was highly effective in lowering the blood glucose concentrations in diabetic rats.
“Similarly, the combined treatment was found to be highly effective in managing some of the complications associated with diabetes, especially hyperlipidemia (high blood cholesterol level). Therefore, the combined treatment could be useful in the management of diabetes mellitus.”
The authors urge the diversification of staples with whole grains like millets and sorghum to keep diabetes in check, especially across Asia and Africa. The occasional meal with millets will not help much; rather, making them a regular part of one’s diet will have a sustainable effect on diabetes.
According to the International Diabetes Association, diabetes is increasing in all regions of the world, and Africa has the largest forecasted increase of 143 percent from 2019 to 2045, followed by the Middle East and North Africa (96 percent) and South East Asia (74 percent).
