In general, berries are known for their antioxidant and disease-fighting effects.
We often talk about blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. But why should they get all the berry glory?
Golden berries can also have great effects on diabetes management.
Let’s talk about this fruit consumption and why you may want to include it in your diet.
What are golden berries?
Golden berries are bright orange fruits. They are part of the nightshade family and are related to tomatillos, tomatoes, and eggplants. They have a paper husk on the outside called a calyx.
Golden berries are a bit smaller than cherry tomatoes. Their taste is sweet, tart, and tropical. They taste similar to pineapples and mangos. You can eat golden berries as fresh fruit, snacks, salads, fruit juice, sauces, dried fruits, or jams.
Golden berries grow all around the world in warm climates. They are originally from South America. They grow in high altitudes and thrive in the Andes and cloud forests of Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, and Peru. However, they have been exported around the world in a range of altitudes and climates. You can find them in California and Hawaii.
Golden berries are excellent sources of the following nutrients:
- Dietary fiber (an important carbohydrate for health)
- Potassium
- Manganese
- Carotenoids
- Polyphenols
- Flavonoids
- Phenolic compounds
- Other phytonutrients
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5 ways golden berries can help manage type 2 diabetes
1. They are low in sugar
Golden berries are low in added sugar and glycemic load. They are also low in calories. On the glycemic index (a rating of foods’ effects on sugar absorption and blood glucose levels), they are rated at 35. This is considered to be a low glycemic index.
This means that they do not quickly boost your blood sugar levels and can lower insulin resistance by preventing blood sugar spikes. This helps to maintain proper insulin sensitivity.
Although you may want to limit your fruit sugar consumption, golden berries may be a good fruit choice for glucose regulation.
These qualities make golden berries great fruits to eat for weight loss and to prevent obesity. They are also a great choice for patients with type 2 diabetes. The antioxidant properties of golden berries also help them to do the following:
- Improve heart health and prevent heart disease and cardiovascular disease (such as high blood pressure)
- Improve liver health
- Improve kidney health
- Prevent obesity
- Help with weight loss
- Manage diabetes risk
- Diabetes prevention (reducing chances of developing diabetes)
2. They may boost immunity
This quality is particularly important for people with diabetes, since they have lowered immune function.
There are no human studies on golden berries’ effects on the immune system. However, there are test-tube studies that show several benefits.
These studies show that golden berries can help regulate your immune system through your cells. Golden berries have polyphenols. These block the release of inflammatory immune markers.
Golden berries are also a good source of vitamin C. Although we often think of citrus fruits containing vitamin C, golden berries have it, too.
In fact, one cup of golden berries contains 15.4 milligrams of vitamin C. This is 21 percent of the recommended daily intake for women and 17 percent for men. This is important because of vitamin C’s key role in having a healthy immune response.
3. They’re anti-inflammatory
There are compounds called withanolides in golden berries, and these may have anti-inflammatory effects on your body.
One study looked at the husk of golden berries and found that it lowered inflammation in mice. These mice also had lower levels of inflammatory markers in their tissues after having golden berry husk extract.
Unfortunately, there are no studies like this in humans yet. But there are test-tube studies using human cells.
These show that golden berries may have promising effects against chronic inflammation. This is important for diabetics because diabetes does involve the inflammatory process.
4. They contain antioxidants
Free radicals are compounds that can contribute to aging and chronic disease. Antioxidants such as anthocyanins protect against and fix the damage that free radicals have caused. Golden berries contain 34 unique compounds that can boost your health.
One study found that golden berry extracts can increase the life of cells. They can also prevent the formation of free radicals, which cause oxidative stress.
Don’t underestimate their skin! The skin of golden berries has almost three times as many antioxidants as the insides. Ripe golden berries will be at their peak concentration of antioxidants.
5. Enhances eye health
Golden berries contain several carotenoids, including lutein and beta carotene. Lutein has preventative effects on eye health.
Carotenoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene can protect against vision loss from diabetes. This is important because eye health is vulnerable to the effects of diabetes.
Conclusion
It’s possible that before you read this diabetes article, you had never even heard of golden berries before! But I’m sure you’re now interested in at least trying them out.
When looking for natural ways to manage type 2 diabetes, golden berries can help you boost your antioxidant intake, enhance your visual health, fight inflammation, or boost your immune system.
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