This food/herb has been use for a colon and especially stomach remedy. "For diabetes sufferers- cut the ends off of a few okra, put in a cup with water overnight, the next day remove the okra and drink the water...Diabetes will go away and so will your shots." Tested on humans, the results, according to the their tests were miraculous. How much? How long? The claim does doesn't say.
Origins: An item widely circulated via social media in January 2014 (shown above) advocated cutting the ends off a few okra slices, soaking the slices in water overnight, then drinking the water the following morning as a way of making "diabetes vanish" and eliminating the need for
There is a bit of truth to this claim in the sense that okra (also known as lady's finger, bendi, and gombo) does possess some anti-diabetic properties, namely that the viscosity of okra's carbohydrates helps to slow the uptake of sugar into the blood by reducing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, thereby reducing the glycemic load of glucose in the blood that can disrupt the body's ability to properly process the sugars (and that in some cases can lead to the onset of diabetes. Here's the keys:
Soluble fiber, found in porridge oats, okra, strawberries and aubergines among other foods, forms a kind of gel inside the bowels. This slows down the absorption of food from the gut, evening out the peaks in blood glucose that occur after meals. Soluble fiber also draws in bile acids that contribute to raised cholesterol, allowing the body to pass the acids out of the system rather than reabsorbing them into the blood. Soluble fiber therefore offers the double potential benefits of lowering cholesterol and possibly reducing progression to diabetes.
What this means is that the consumption of okra can "help even out roller coaster blood sugar levels" and may contribute to preventing the onset of diabetes or ameleriorating symptoms in those who are already diabetic. But even claiming that much for okra is somewhat speculative, and it does not mean that regularly drinking okra water will "cure" diabetes or make diabetes "go away," nor that okra is a proven viable substitute for insulin injections. As noted in the 2012 textbook Bioactive Food as Dietary Interventions for Diabetes:
There is anecdotal evidence for the amelioration of diabetes by dietary consumption of okra but what are lacking are controlled clinical trials. There are constituents of okra such as polyphenolic molucules that provide encouragement for such studies in the future.
A-must-read: http://www.herbs-info.com/blog/this-is-what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-consume-okra/?c=d
And: Type – 2 Diabetes. Bitter melon notably contains polypeptide – P, phyto – nutrient, a plant insulin known to lower blood sugar levels. Even more, bitter melon contains a unique phyto – constituent that has been confirmed to have charantin which increases glycogen synthesis and glucose uptake inside the cells of muscle, liver and adipose tissue. Together, these two reduce blood sugar levels in the treatment of type – 2 diabetes.
A-must-read: http://www.herbs-info.com/blog/this-is-what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-consume-okra/?c=d
And: Type – 2 Diabetes. Bitter melon notably contains polypeptide – P, phyto – nutrient, a plant insulin known to lower blood sugar levels. Even more, bitter melon contains a unique phyto – constituent that has been confirmed to have charantin which increases glycogen synthesis and glucose uptake inside the cells of muscle, liver and adipose tissue. Together, these two reduce blood sugar levels in the treatment of type – 2 diabetes.
 | Sources: |
Rubin, Alan L. Diabetes for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ISBN 9-7804-7097-7309 (pp. 38-39). Sifferlin, Alexandra. "Eat This Now: Okra." Time. 22 July 2013. Watson, Ronald Ross. Bioactive Food as Dietary Interventions for Diabetes. Academic Press, 2012. ISBN 0-123-97153-5 (p. 298).
