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Dr Coy’s sugars and diabetes

Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are not well controlled and often too high. For people with diabetes, Dr Coy’s sugars represent a simple and effective way to help prevent and manage diabetes, as part of a healthy diet.

Understanding diabetes

Diabetes happens when the body fails to produce enough insulin, or can’t produce it at all – the so called diabetes type 1. Another type of diabetes, diabetes type 2, is the result of low levels of insulin or a reduced effect of insulin (insulin resistance). Without insulin, glucose can’t get into the cells, which means too much of it stays in the blood, causing damage to surrounding cells in the blood vessels. There are several different types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes often occurs in childhood and adolescence. The body’s own immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, so none is produced. This most likely results from an autoimmune reaction, though the precise causes are unknown. Suspected triggers include environmental factors, gluten and viral infections. Because the body doesn’t produce insulin, the blood sugar level has to be regulated through daily insulin injections.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes develops over time, when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, and the body becomes resistant to insulin’s effects. Obesity, genetic predisposition and lack of exercise increase the risk for type 2 diabetes. Although it’s known as ‘elderly or adult diabetes’, it’s increasingly common in children. Many people live with type 2 diabetes without even knowing it, with only half ever actually diagnosed. Blood sugar is managed through diet, medication or insulin injections.

An HbA1c test can measure the amount of glucose that’s attached to haemoglobin, which is the protein that transports oxygen to the bloodstream. This represents the glucose damages resulting from high blood glucose levels over the previous three months. A prolonged increase in blood glucose can lead to insulin resistance, which prompts the body to create more and more (hyperinsulinemia).

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy, with potential health consequences for mother and baby. Diabetic mothers are more likely to need a Caesarean section. Babies born to diabetic mothers have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. A healthy diet is one way to help manage this.

A new type of diabetes?

Type 3 diabetes is a recently suggested description for Alzheimer’s disease, which results from insulin resistance in the brain. High blood glucose levels and HbA1c correlate with early onset memory loss and Alzheimer’s.

Dr Coy’s sugars help keep blood glucose stable and safe

For people with diabetes, sugar awareness is often essential, along with regular blood monitoring, a healthy diet and regular exercise. Avoiding too many foods that are high in classic sugars and glucose starch is one way to help reduce the risk of diabetes.

Even ‘healthy’ foods like bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, and grains that we don’t think of as sweet contain hidden sugars in the form of glucose starch. This raises blood sugar levels significantly and forces the pancreas to release more insulin to stabilise it. These foods, as well as foods containing classic sugars, prevent fat metabolism, which can cause weight gain, obesity and ultimately, diabetes.

But sugar can still be part of a healthy diet. Replacing classic sugars with Dr Coy’s sugars such as galactose and tagatose could help limit any negative effects. For example:

Galactose:

Research shows that after consuming galactose, the amount of sugar in the blood rises more slowly than with classic sugars. Galactose provides an even supply of energy to cells, without spikes or dips in blood sugar. This makes it an ideal energy source for people who need to check their blood sugar levels regularly. Studies show that galactose can also induce fat burning, which makes it an ideal sugar for weight loss. Try it as a sweetener in drinks, desserts and ice cream.

Tagatose:

Tagatose helps prevent high blood glucose levels. It improves the blood fat profile by increasing good blood fats (high LDL) as well as decreasing HbA1c, a blood marker that signifies damage caused by high glucose levels in the blood. Diabetes experts strongly recommend the use of tagatose in nutritional diabetes treatment. The European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) confirms that the consumption of drinks containing tagatose instead of sugar, induces a lower blood glucose rise compared to sugar containing drinks.

Trehalose:

Trehalose is a fully digestible natural sugar consisting of two glucose sugars, but with a lower calorie content than classic sugars. It causes a lower blood glucose level and lower insulin burden than classic sugars. Also, it doesn’t block fat burning like classic sugars. Trehalose can supply the brain with glucose in a much healthier way than classic sugars. 

Isomaltulose:

The EFSA has confirmed the effects of isomaltulose for health, stating that consuming foods that include isomaltulose instead of other types of sugar can help to stabilize blood sugar levels.

Non-sweet starches

In a healthy diet, we don’t just want to reduce our consumption of classic sugars – classic starches also have an undesirable effect on blood glucose levels. Instead, consider replacing glucose starch with resistant dextrin, psyllium husk flour, glucomannan, and low sugar flours from oil seeds, such as almond flour.

Resistant dextrin (long chains of glucose which are resistant to digestion)

Resistant dextrin can be made out of glucose starch. 

Combining dextrin and gluten free flour is the perfect way to stabilise insulin and blood sugar levels without giving up pasta, pizza and bread.

Glucomannan

 

Glucomannan is another long-chain starch, consisting of glucose and mannose. It’s a water-soluble fiber made from elephant yams. It’s very thick so you don’t need much of it, and it helps you stay full for longer.

Our recipes page is packed with ideas for incorporating Dr Coy’s sugars into your diet.

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Further information on diabetes and sugar

Get in touch with Intelligent Sugar

Got a question about Dr Coy’s sugars? Contact info@intelligentsugar.info

If you have a question about a specific health condition, please speak to your doctor.

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