Jeremiah Farias (00:00.278)
Fruits, blood sugar, and diabetes. Can you eat fruit if you have diabetes or will eating fruit worsen blood sugar and insulin resistance? In this video, we’ll talk about how and why to include fruits in your diet, why eating fruits is not going to exacerbate or cause diabetes, and finally, we’ll briefly review what factors can actually cause diabetes. Hi, my name is Jeremiah Farias. I’m a functional registered dietician and I help adults suffering from blood sugar dysregulation issues, conditions like diabetes and pre -diabetes.

using a bio -energetic approach to optimize cellular energy production. On this channel, I dive into the science and mechanisms involved in optimizing health and blood sugar metabolism while providing you with practical takeaways. I hope you enjoy today’s content. Fruits are often misunderstood in the blood sugar and diabetes world.

Many will recommend to avoid fruits or stick to low -glycemic or low -sugar fruits like berries. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with incorporating low -sugar, low -glycemic fruits like berries in the diet. I they’re actually quite great. But I don’t believe one needs to limit their choices to just those options. Overall, fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals, namely potassium. In a previous video, I covered the benefits of ensuring enough potassium, and I’ll link to that above. Potassium supports blood sugar health by signaling the beta cells of the pancreas to release insulin.

This is likely why you see an increased risk of diabetes in those with potassium levels below 4 mEq per liter. In addition to being rich in vitamins and minerals, fruits are also a combination of fructose and glucose. The unique thing about fructose is it doesn’t require insulin to be stored in the cells. Instead, fructose can head directly to the liver. It can be used or oxidized for energy by the cells of the liver. It can be stored as glycogen for later use.

It can actually then be sent out to other tissues to be utilized. And lastly, if there is any extra, it can be stored as fat. There are individuals who have concerns with fructose consumption and increasing something called de novo lipogenesis. This is a scientific word for the production and then storage of fats. However, do we need to worry about this? First, many studies that point to fructose being uniquely fattening and increasing de novo lipogenesis are done using rat –

Jeremiah Farias (02:05.038)
The issue with using rat models is rat livers do not have the same capacity to store glucose in the form of stored glycogen as human livers do. On top of that, the amounts of fructose that they use in these studies can vary anywhere from 20 % to 70 % of their diet coming from fructose. When we look at human studies, the rates of de novo lipogenesis are anywhere from 5 to 10 % in healthy individuals and up to 15 % in those with metabolic dysfunction.

One short -term intervention wanted to look at the effects of 50 % excess energy as fructose, sucrose, and glucose. What they found was de novo lipogenesis was a minor pathway for fructose disposal in both lean individuals and obese individuals. Lastly, another study done by Hellerstein and colleagues concluded that de novo net lipogenesis after fructose or sugar consumption is very small.

So I don’t believe we need to worry about our fruit intake leading to excessive fat gain, especially when we’re pairing some fruit with high quality protein, fat, and even non -starchy vegetables. But what do interventional and observational studies say about fruit intake and diabetes or blood sugar control and health? One observational study out of Australia found that a higher total fruit intake was associated with improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. One meta -analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials found that increasing one’s fruit intake,

reduce fasting blood glucose concentrations. The benefits that are observed with increasing one’s fruit intake are likely due to the numerous beneficial properties that fruits possess, namely polyphenols and their fiber content. Polyphenols not only possess antioxidant properties, they also have antibacterial, antiviral, anti -inflammatory, and anti -carcinogenic properties. This is likely why they have a positive effect in the gastrointestinal tract.

Polyphenols can actually reduce a process called putrefaction. Putrefaction is the fermentation of proteins that occurs in the colon. This fermentation of proteins leads to a variety of metabolic byproducts. This includes ammonia, sulfides, and indoles, and some more. The issue with the production of these compounds is they lead to inflammation within the intestinal tract. As you can imagine, the fiber that’s found in fruits is also beneficial for the health of our gut. It does this through a variety of mechanisms. First,

Jeremiah Farias (04:19.628)
Fiber is going to feed the bacteria that’s within the gut. The bacteria are then going to produce things called short -chain fatty acids. Short -chain fatty acids feed the cells of the colon known as the colonicides. It nourishes them. And then this production of short -chain fatty acid also lowers the pH in the intestinal tract, making it a bit more acidic. And this can discourage more pathogenic bacteria from proliferating, taking up residence or space. Fiber is also going to reduce the putrefaction occurring as well. The more fiber,

that the bacteria have to ferment, the less likely they are to ferment proteins that make their way down into the intestinal tract. Hopefully you’re seeing that fruits do not need to be avoided if you have diabetes. Instead, you’re noticing that they’re quite beneficial for our health. You may have heard that carbohydrate -rich foods, which includes fruits, cause diabetes. This is not true. In a moment, we’re gonna look at the factors that can actually cause diabetes. So after reviewing some of the benefits in the studies discussing fruits and diabetes and blood sugar health,

I’m wondering what questions do you have still about this topic? Let me know down in the comments. If you’re getting value from this video, please be sure to hit that like button. I really appreciate it. As I mentioned, fruits are a great source of carbohydrates to include in one’s diet. However, I’m a fan of pairing fruits with high quality protein, some fats, and non -starchy vegetables, as this is going to allow someone to have more stable blood sugar and avoid spikes in blood sugar. I created a free guide that lists the best sources, I argue, for

proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and even some non -starchy vegetables. If you’re interested in getting that free guide, the link will be down in the description below. Let’s jump into what can cause diabetes. I’ve mentioned this in many previous videos, but diabetes is a result of the cells of our body not being able to use the glucose, meaning glucose can enter into the cell, but for a variety of reasons, it’s not able to convert the glucose into cellular energy called ATP. What can cause this dysfunction to occur? There can be many causes, but we’ll look at a few. They include polyunsaturated fats,

micronutrient deficiencies, toxins like BPA, and stress. Let’s start with polyunsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats, because of their structure, are prone to oxidation and they can form something called lipid peroxides. The byproducts of lipid peroxides have long been associated with worsened metabolic outcomes in those with type 2 diabetes. These byproducts include compounds called malendialdehyde, MDA for short.

Jeremiah Farias (06:38.286)
or 4 -hydroxy -2 -nonono for H &E for short. Additionally, because the polyunsaturated fats can then make up the cellular membranes and they are prone to oxidation, this oxidative stress can then negatively impact how the cell works. And so if you impact the structure of the cell, you impact its function, and this can then further impair glucose oxidation within the cell. And this is why you’d want to prioritize monounsaturated and saturated fats over polyunsaturated fats in your diet. There are much more stable fats that are less prone.

to oxidation. Next, a micronutrient deficiency can also lead to diabetes. This is because certain nutrients are required to use glucose in the cell, namely thiamine. Without thiamine, you cannot oxidize glucose in the cell and produce ATP.

Toxins like BPA, bisphenol, which is found in plastics, can also impair the cell’s ability to use glucose. So if you’re someone who does consume a lot of beverages or foods out of plastic containers, it can be helpful and wise to slowly switch to stainless steel when it’s appropriate or glass containers. Lastly, let’s talk about stress. Stress can cause diabetes, and it does this by increasing the hormone cortisol.

Cortisol can be increased by mental -emotional stress, but it also can be increased by physiological stress. Physiological stress can occur in those who are doing intermittent fasting, extended fasting, restricting carbohydrates, restricting fats in the diet. It can be due to severely restricting calories for especially an extended period of time. And lastly, if someone is taking glucocorticoids for pain, for inflammation,

That’s also going to increase baseline cortisol levels. This increase in baseline cortisol is problematic because cortisol can actually inhibit glucose oxidation in both muscle cells or muscle tissues and fat tissue. Cortisol will also drive mitochondrial dysfunction, which means less energy production or ATP production. Because diabetes is an issue of using glucose in the cell, you can see that just removing carbohydrates from the diet is not actually getting to the root of the issue.

Jeremiah Farias (08:32.302)
It just takes away the challenge. If you’re interested in working with me to truly reverse your type two diabetes, pre -diabetes or other blood sugar dysregulation issues, the best place to start is scheduling a free call with me. In it, we’ll discuss how I can help you reach your absolute best health. The link for that call will be in the description below. As I mentioned earlier, one of the factors that can impact your cell’s ability to use glucose is a micronutrient deficiency, namely thiamin. In a previous video,

I reviewed the imports of thiamine, but also three other micronutrients. You can check out that video next. If you enjoyed today’s video, please be sure to hit that like button, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you don’t miss any future videos. Take care, see you next week.