My dad has type II diabetes and i just looked at a diet menu a doctor gave him. he is supposed to eat 6 or so servings of fruit a day.
This site, among others
http://www.mercola.com/2001/dec/12/syndrome_x.htm
states that fructose leads to insulin resistance and weight gain by cutting down on leptin. So why would diabetics be told to eat fruit for?
http://www.mercola.com/2001/dec/12/syndrome_x.htm
The take-home message from the latest nutritional research is that if you feel like something sweet, reach for a piece of fruit. Fructose is found in fruit and vegetables, but unlike processed foods it’s present in vanishingly small amounts and is bound up with complex plant fiber and other nutrients that offer many health benefits.
I should read these things before i post them.
Have a look at this thread again.
Large quantities of fructose in the diet (eg softdrinks and candies), have been shown to lead to insulin resistance. Fructose and glucose are formed when sucrose is broken down.
However, diabetics are better to eat fructose because it provides a slower release of energy than glucose. The fructose is first converted in the liver into glucose, rather than directly increasing the blood glucose.
Remember, it is glucose that insulin takes into the cells to be used as energy.
Fructose versus sucrose per se offers some limited benefits. Fructose in whole fruit is moderated by fiber, which slows absorption of blood glucose, protects agains cholesterol, and gives you that “full” feeling, reducting the need for cookies.
–reducing.
Might be worth mentioning that all fruits are not equal for diabetics. “High glycemic” fruits (such as pineapples, bananas, and mangoes) are more quickly converted to glucose, where as an apple, for example, is converted more slowly. This affects blood sugar, either spiking it or smoothing it. The latter is what you’re aiming for–easy, gently rises and falls rather than heavy inconsistency.
Tell your dad to go on the Atkins diet + exercise. Since I’ve been on it, my blood glucose has been normal, my blood pressure is normal, my LDL is down, my HDL is up, and my triglycerides are half what they used to be. I used to love fruit, but I really don’t miss it (I can eat berries).
There are a lot of different nutritional plans that various care providers/medical associations will recommend for diabetics. The American Diabetic Association’s plan is one that recommends a relatively high level of carbohydrate, including a lot of fruit.
Many diabetics I know personally follow a much lower-carbohydrate plan. Not necessarily a formal plan such as Atkins or Protein Power or whatever, just a diet in which they count carbohydrates and limit their carb intake, usually to less than 100 grams per day, although it varies by individual. In a plan like this, I would say that typically there is some fruit involved, but not a whole lot. (This is the plan that I follow, with some modifications.)
Something else that a lot of diabetics pay attention to is the “glycemic index” (do a web search for more info), which is the concept that some foods will make your blood sugar go up quicker than other foods. So maybe somebody following this plan would have no problem eating strawberries and melon, but would avoid bananas and grapes. (Or whatever.)
No matter what their particular dietary philosophy, most of the diabetics I talk to on a regular basis use their blood glucose meters as a guide to decide which foods are OK to eat and which aren’t. In other words, if I eat a meal that includes a couple of nectarines and I see that afterwards my blood sugar has gone through the ceiling, even though I ate the same meal sans nectarines the day before and my blood sugar was fine, I might decide, OK, ixnay on the nectarines.
The Calculus of Logic, if your dad is up for some reading on the topic of diabetes, I would like to recommend a great book that I just read myself not too long ago – The First Year – Type 2 Diabetes, by Gretchen Becker. It’s written for a layperson to understand, but still manages not to be condescending, and it’s full of really great info, including a lot about various dietary plans. In my own very humble opinion, the ADA plan, which recommends eating a lot of fruit and getting roughly 50-60% of your calories from carbohydrate, is way too high-carb for most diabetics to be able to keep their blood sugar in range without insulin injections. But, that is just my personal opinion – I personally found I couldn’t follow that diet and maintain good blood sugar. I am sure there are people out there who can, though. It’s probably worth it to your dad to try out different diets and see what works best for him.
I would recommend that you NOT give dietary advice to a diabetic unless you are both a health professional, and have that individual as your patient. Otherwise you have no idea about the state of this particular diabetic’s kidneys or other related health conditions, and you don’t know if your recommendation about eating a high protein diet will lead to renal failure.
QtM, MD
Er… Qadgop’s post reminded me that I forgot to add something very important at the end of my own post, namely:
“Before undergoing any major modification in his dietary plan, your dad should probably consult with at least his doctor and probably also a registered dietician.”
[Insert sheepish expression here.]
I also remember reading some time ago (no cite, but it was in “Balance”, a publication of Diabetes UK … formerly the British Diabetic Association) that using the glycaemic index could allow you to consume foods in combination which otherwise you would have to avoid. The example given was a piece of gateau following a meal containing kidney beans (dunno why that stuck in mind 
).
Julie
well i am not sure on diabetics. but seems like fructose would require insulin to clear from the blood. as far as leptin maybe you got something mixed up, people stuff themselves with carbs to boost leptin levels. seems like leptin and insulin sorta go hand in hand.
perhaps the doc thought it would be too hard on your dad to do a keto diet, so as long as he were to have carbs the only thing you can do is to make sure they are low GI. and i suppose fruits in his book are relatively low GI. though to me it still makes no sense.
use their forum and ask “spook” he should know this stuff. he’s the leptin person 
No. Insulin works to remove glucose from the blood, not fructose.
If you want advice on diet, go to a licensed dietitian instead of a physician. (Sorry, QtM.) Few physicians get any training in dietetics and simply hand out one-size-fits-all sheets.
“No. Insulin works to remove glucose from the blood, not fructose.”
but fructose converts to glucose in the liver as far as i know. it has a glycemic index of 32 compared to 100 of glucose, so it would require less insulin, but would still require some imho.
I think what many are missing here is that an individual should discuss with their primary physician about their particular dietary requirements. If they can’t reverse the non-injecting type of diabetes though diet, I would seek out other avenues as your food intake can be a huge influence on diabetes and frankly in my opinion (as my father that ignores his physician) could reverse the affects of diabetes if he followed a more strict diet.
With that said, fruit sugars are more easily processed than are refined sugars and your body works with the natural sugars than it will with with a candy bar.
The same goes with other carbs. Your body works harder to break down complex carbs than it will with refined carbs like white flour. While I don’t have “cites” I think that anyone that is in the medical or nutritional field with agree with me.
The more natural the substance (raw, etc.) the better your body will deal with the effects of incorporating complex carbs and natural sugars.
Fruits do aid in digestion, they offer sugars and people need a certain amount of sugars but healthy ones, not ones from eating Tootsie Rolls or M&Ms all day.
Many people can reverse the effects of type II (is that the right one?) by adjusting their diet. The key is to seek out nutritional and physicians that understand this concept and they do that based on the specific situation that a person is in.
Many things need to be considered and even though I am just a person with some knowledge I think it’s a formula that will work for all diabetics.
A food diary for a couple to three weeks maybe even four weeks, a meeting with both a doctor and a nutritionist if at possible the same time may make all the difference in their status as a diabetic.
I do believe that non-insulin shot diabetics can reverse their diabetes through diet and not through drugs. I have my own experience through my grandfather, grandmother and now my father. All three of which decided to take the road (thankfully my dad is still alive) of I will do as I please rather than fight for the idea of being healthy.
Simple dietary changes can make the difference between life and death in many ailments. Fruit just doesn’t seem to aggravate (sp) as much for the diabetic but the simple sugars do.
But then again, I am just a person and not a physician.
[hijack]IANAMD. Every diet plan I’ve seen for diabetics stresses the importance of moderate exercise in addition to a reasonable diet.[/hijack]