SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 20: Amidst the raging debate over the ED’s allegation that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was intentionally taking mangoes to get his glucose level spiked, the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) has said that the consumption of mango in limited quantity is beneficial for the health of diabetic patients.
According to RSSDI national body executive member and Diabetes and Heart Research Centre (DHRC) Director Dr NK Singh, mangoes, their byproducts, and various parts like flesh leaves, peel, and seed kernels also benefit glycemic control in patients with diabetes.
Half a mango twice in a day makes no harm
Renowned physician Padma Bhushan Dr Ambrish Mithal has said that consuming half a mango twice a day is permissible and beneficial for the health of diabetes patients.
Advocating the mango for diabetes patients, Dr Mithal in CME India (a WhatsApp group of expert physicians from India, the USA, Britain and other foreign countries) has convinced that consuming half a mango at a time twice a day does not harm.
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Dr Mithal, chairman and head of the Institute of Endocrinology & Diabetes Max Health Centre, said diabetic patients can consume 30 grams of carbohydrates in a day. “Half a mango contains 15 grams of carbohydrates. So, half a mango twice will contain 30 grams of carbohydrates, which will not harm the patient,” he added.
“If you search the net, you will find the physicians are divided on the issue. One section says diabetic patients should not eat mango while another says they can eat,” said Dr Mithal.
He said excessive mango consumption can be harmful, but maintaining balance would be beneficial.
“Eating mango between breakfast and lunch or dinner would be beneficial. Eating mango as a sweet dish can be harmful as carbohydrates already come into the body with food, but taking it between lunch and dinner does not give carbohydrates beyond the body’s limits.
Mango can be eaten with curd, milk
“A mango with protein, curd, milk and nuts will be more effective for diabetic patients,” said Dr Ambrish Mithal.
DHRC Director Dr NK Singh said mango components have been shown to reduce blood glucose levels and improve metabolic dysregulation in pre-diabetic conditions.
Mango seed kernel extract has demonstrated anti-hyperglycemic activity by modulating pancreatic β cell apoptosis, dysfunction, and hepatic glucose metabolism in diabetic rats.
“Mango may be included as part of a healthy diet; it should not be relied upon as a primary treatment for diabetes,” he said.
