Fact Check: Drinking Bitter Guard or Karela juice won’t cure Diabetes
There is no cure for Diabetes yet.
By Sunanda Naik Published on 7 Sep 2023 10:55 AM GMT
A social media post by Curejoy Ayurveda claiming that bitter gourd is the best remedy for curing diabetes has gone viral.
The caption on the post reads, ‘Ayurvedic Remedies for Diabetes Cure: The bitter gourd is regarded as the best remedy for diabetes. Drinking at least one tablespoon of bitter gourd juice daily will reduce blood sugar levels in your blood and urine. Having bitter gourd cooked in ghee for a period of three months will bring the diabetes down by a significant amount.’
The word 'cure’ used in the post might mislead a number of diabetic patients to rely on bitter gourd or karela juice to control or cure diabetes.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the post to be misleading.
What is diabetes?
World Health Organisation says, 'Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose.
WHO lists out major types of Diabetes such as:
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by deficient insulin production and requires daily insulin administration. Neither its cause nor the means to prevent it are known.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes affects how your body uses sugar (glucose) for energy. It stops the body from using insulin properly, which can lead to high levels of blood sugar if not treated. Over time, type 2 diabetes can cause serious damage to the body, especially nerves and blood vessels. Type 2 diabetes is often preventable. Factors that contribute to developing type 2 diabetes include being overweight, not getting enough exercise, and genetics.
Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes is hyperglycemia with blood glucose values above normal but below those diagnostics of diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and at delivery. These women and possibly their children are also at increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the future.
Moreover, according to HealthMatch, ‘There is no cure for diabetes. However, by consistently monitoring your blood sugar levels and keeping them in a healthy range, it's possible to prevent the long-term effects of diabetes. Many people can manage their diabetes through diet and exercise.’
We further reached out to Dr. Umesh Wadhavani, Nutritionist and Wellness coach on the same.
He said, ‘Here's the truth behind it - “The notion of thinking "a bitter thing will help cure a sweet's problem" is called 'pseudo-rational science”.
Some other examples include -
• Beetroot improves blood health because it is also red.
• Walnuts are excellent for brain health because they're shaped like the brain.
This correlation might have some truth, but science and nature don't work like that.
𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚 -
Bitter gourd has 3 active components,
• Vicine
• Charantin
• Polypeptide-p
These 3 are said to have hypoglycaemic effects, lowering your blood sugar levels.
But
1) There is not enough research on these active components for us to use them for treating diabetes.
2) Diabetes is a lifestyle condition. One pill or food item will not help you completely cure the condition. It may give you temporary relief from the symptoms.
3) We don't know the recommended dosage. It may become more harmful than beneficial if you overconsume it.
This was my Karela story.
Claim Review:Bitter gourd juice cures diabetes.
Claimed By:Social media user
Claim Reviewed By:NewsMeter
Claim Source:Facebook
Claim Fact Check:False
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