Because it is said that eating pumpkin can lower blood sugar, some diabetic patients consider pumpkin to be the best food for lowering blood sugar and eat it excessively. However, a recent study from a medical institution in Shanghai, published in the journal "Molecular Endocrinology," shows that the theory of "pumpkin lowering blood sugar" is misleading. Eating more pumpkin not only fails to lower blood sugar but can also lead to elevated blood sugar levels and fluctuations in the condition.
So, how should we view the question of whether pumpkin lowers or raises blood sugar, and how should we scientifically evaluate the health benefits of pumpkin? Our reporter interviewed Yu Kang, Associate Chief Physician of the Clinical Nutrition Department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and a member of the editorial board of the journal "Diabetes World."
● Pumpkin has various health benefits
Pumpkin, also known as番瓜, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is mostly produced in summer and autumn. Since ancient times, it has received attention and praise: one for its unique flavor, and the other for its health benefits.
Yu Kang explained that traditional Chinese medicine discovered the high medicinal value of pumpkin early on, and its health benefits are recorded in three traditional Chinese medical books. The Chinese medical book "Dian Nan Ben Cao" states, "Pumpkin is warm in nature, sweet and tasteless, enters the spleen and stomach meridians, can moisten the lungs and replenish qi, resolve phlegm and discharge pus, expel parasites and detoxify, and treat coughs, asthma, lung abscess, constipation, etc."; "Compendium of Materia Medica" describes pumpkin as "tonifying the middle and replenishing qi"; "Common Folk Herbal Medicine Collection" records that pumpkin "can reduce swelling, detoxify, resolve phlegm, promote lactation, treat jaundice and dysentery," and "eliminate fatigue and enhance physical fitness." Although these records and conclusions mostly come from simple observations and practices and lacked sufficient evidence for confirmation at the time, they themselves are enough to show the importance ancient people placed on the health benefits of pumpkin.
Analysis using modern nutritional technology has found that pumpkin contains relatively rich nutrients, such as various vitamins (especially carotene), macroelements (such as calcium and phosphorus), and trace elements (such as iron and zinc). Taking the trace element zinc as an example, every 1000 grams of pumpkin contains 18 mg of zinc. Regular consumption of pumpkin by adolescents can effectively prevent and treat developmental delays and anorexia caused by zinc deficiency. Among various vegetables and coarse grains, pumpkin has the highest content of the trace element cobalt, and regular consumption can prevent hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases caused by cobalt deficiency. Some studies also show that pumpkin has certain effects in preventing and treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, atherosclerosis, and promoting the healing of gastric mucosal ulcers.
● The effect of pumpkin on blood sugar is relative to other foods
The idea of eating pumpkin to treat diabetes probably originated in the early 1980s. It is said that the prevalence of diabetes in Hokkaido, Japan, was as high as 5%, but there was not a single diabetic patient in a small village called Yubari in Hokkaido. Some medical professionals believed this was related to the local residents' frequent consumption of pumpkin, and the theory of pumpkin lowering blood sugar began from then on. However, recent new medical research has found that eating more pumpkin not only does not lower blood sugar, but sometimes even leads to an increase in blood sugar levels.
How should we view the relationship between eating pumpkin and blood sugar? Yu Kang believes that this issue needs to be analyzed dialectically. As a food containing sugar and energy, the overall effect of pumpkin on blood sugar is to raise it rather than lower it. However, compared to other carbohydrate-containing foods, its ability to raise blood sugar is weaker, and blood sugar changes are more stable and gradual after eating pumpkin.
When talking about the reasons, Yu Kang analyzed that on the one hand, the carbohydrate content in pumpkin is relatively low, with only 4.5 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams of pumpkin. On the other hand, pumpkin contains a large amount of pectin, which is a soluble fiber. When mixed with starchy foods, it delays gastric emptying, slows down carbohydrate absorption, and thus delays the postprandial blood sugar peak. Therefore, for diabetic patients, it is completely fine to eat some pumpkin (no more than 200 grams per day). Especially for some diabetic kidney patients who are undergoing low-protein diet therapy, since the amount of protein in pumpkin is extremely small, it can replace some staple foods (rice, flour, etc.), thereby achieving the effect of reducing the total protein intake.
Yu Kang reminded that pumpkin is a sugar-containing food after all, and its health benefits cannot replace regular hypoglycemic drugs. For diabetic patients, it is inappropriate to eat unlimited amounts of pumpkin, and it is even more unacceptable to stop taking regular hypoglycemic drugs on one's own initiative, thinking that eating pumpkin can cure the disease.
● Related link: Cleverly using pumpkin to make delicious dishes
Yu Kang, Associate Chief Physician of the Clinical Nutrition Department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, also introduced several simple and easy pumpkin recipes to our reporter.
1. Pumpkin Porridge
Ingredients: Pumpkin, rice
Method: Wash the pumpkin, peel it, cut it into small pieces, and cook it with white rice to make porridge.
2. Stir-fried Pumpkin (Vegetarian Style)
Ingredients: Pumpkin
Method: Wash the pumpkin, peel it, cut into small cubes (2 cm square), and stir-fry with oil.
3. Pork Floss Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients: Pumpkin, pork floss
Method: Wash the pumpkin, peel it, cut into small cubes, steam until cooked, then take out and let cool. Mash into a fine puree. Heat a clean pot, add an appropriate amount of water, pour in the pumpkin puree, bring to a boil, season with salt and monosodium glutamate, and thicken with a little wet starch to form a soup. Pour into a glass dish and sprinkle with pork floss.
4. Colorful Double Puree Soup
Ingredients: Pumpkin, winter melon, crab roe, etc.
Method: Wash the pumpkin and winter melon, peel them, and separately blend into puree in a blender. Heat a clean pot, add an appropriate amount of fresh broth, then add the pumpkin puree and crab roe. Season with salt and monosodium glutamate, bring to a boil, and thicken with wet starch to make a fragrant, fresh, and smooth pumpkin soup. Similarly, make a winter melon soup with the winter melon puree and crab meat. Finally, serve the two differently colored soups in a plate.