Sugarcane: I am not a fruit and my glycemic index is not high!

In late winter and early spring, the long "bamboo poles" on the street carts have yellow-green or purple skins - sugar cane. The golden, juicy and sweet taste makes people salivate.

Sometimes, we may think: something so sweet will surely increase blood sugar levels, right? Especially when blood sugar levels are unstable, we stay away from sugar cane. But scientific research tells us that sugar cane may have been "wrongly blamed"!

Moreover, sugarcane is not a fruit. Although it can be eaten raw like a fruit, from the perspective of botany and crop classification, it belongs to the grass family, not a fruit.

[In terms of crop planting, my country is the world's third largest producer of sugarcane, which is mainly planted in Guangxi (accounting for more than 60% of the country), Yunnan, Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, Sichuan and other places. The annual output is about 100 million tons. ]

1. What is the glycemic index? Why is it important?

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure of how quickly carbohydrates in food affect blood sugar levels. In simple terms, it tells us how quickly and how high a certain food will raise our blood sugar.
From the perspective of food GI, it can be understood as follows:

High GI foods (GI ≥ 70) refer to foods that increase blood sugar rapidly and to a large extent. Medium GI foods (GI = 56-69) refer to foods that increase blood sugar rapidly and to a moderate extent.

Low GI foods (GI ≤ 55): refer to foods that increase blood sugar slowly and to a smaller extent.

Why is the glycemic index (GI) important? Because rapid fluctuations in blood sugar can stimulate the secretion of insulin, which may increase the risk of insulin resistance in the long run, which is also an important cause of type 2 diabetes. Jenkins et al. first proposed this concept in their groundbreaking study in 1981. Today, the glycemic index has become an important indicator for evaluating the health properties of food.

2. Sugarcane’s glycemic index: surprisingly low

When we chew a piece of sugar cane, it is hard to believe that the sweet juice will not cause a spike in blood sugar. However, studies have shown that the GI value of sugar cane is about 43-55. Sugar cane is not a fruit - it is a low GI food! In other words, sugar cane is a food that slowly raises our blood sugar and has a smaller range of blood sugar changes.

Compare the GI values ​​of our daily staple foods:
White rice: GI value is about 70-87
Steamed bread: GI value is about 65-70
White bread: GI value is about 70-75
Whole wheat bread: GI value is about 50-65

In other words, the staple food we eat every day has a higher glycemic effect than sugarcane!

[Sugarcane is not a fruit - it is a low glycemic index GI food]

3. Sugarcane and diabetes: Not as incompatible as imagined

For a long time, sugarcane has been mistakenly considered a "forbidden fruit" for diabetics because of its sweet taste of sucrose. But in the article "Antioxidant and anti-diabetic functions of polyphenol-rich sugarcane extracts", researchers also gave a new perspective. They found that polyphenol-rich sugarcane extracts may help block the uptake of glucose and fructose by intestinal cells and restore insulin production in dysfunctional beta cells - which is also a key function in managing diabetic conditions. That is, sugarcane polyphenols may regulate cellular mechanisms in a way that is beneficial to health.

So why can sugarcane do this? There may be several reasons:

1. Cellulose barrier: If you want to drink sugarcane juice, you must first break through the "defense line" of plant fibers. These fibers not only slow down the release of sugar, but also help intestinal health.

2. Complex sugar composition: The sweetness of sugarcane comes from the combination of various sugars, unlike some refined sugars which are "simple and crude".

3. Dilution effect of water: Sugarcane contains a lot of water, more than 80% of which is water, so the sucrose concentration is naturally diluted.

4. Plant secondary metabolites: Sugarcane contains many plant secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, which have a positive effect on the regulation of blood sugar.

Of course, this does not mean that we can "chew sugarcane" unscrupulously. It is better to eat it in moderation and not too much.

4. Are sugar substitutes really healthier than sugarcane?

Many people turn to various sugar substitutes to control blood sugar. However, a study published by Suez et al. in the journal Cell in 2022 showed that some sugar substitutes significantly and obviously changed the human intestinal and oral microbiota, and common non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) may not have no physiological effects in the human body as previously believed, and some of these effects may be indirectly mediated by interventions in the specific structure of the human microbiota.

In contrast, our "friendship" with sugar cane has lasted for thousands of years, and our bodies have long adapted to this natural food. From an evolutionary perspective, sugar cane, as a traditional food, may be more suitable for our physiological system than some synthetic sugar substitutes.

5. Sugarcane: a treasure trove of nutrition that is more than just sweet

In addition to providing energy, sugarcane also contains many "health treasures":

① Antioxidants: Polyphenol compounds help fight free radicals

② Minerals: Potassium, magnesium, iron, etc. help maintain electrolyte balance

③ Vitamins: B vitamins and vitamin C are beneficial for supporting metabolism

Sugarcane has much richer connotations than simple white sugar!

6. How to enjoy eating sugarcane?

Since sugarcane is not as "scary" as we imagined, we might as well "chew" some more:

Ⅰ. Chew in moderation: no more than 20 cm long at a time

Ⅱ. Chew for a while: chew thoroughly and savor slowly, so that the fiber can help delay the absorption of sugar. Finally, spit the residue into the garbage bag.

III. Enjoy after meals: Eat some sugar cane after meals to smooth out blood sugar fluctuations

IV. Combine with protein: You can pair it with a handful of nuts to keep your blood sugar level more stable

Conclusion

In late winter and early spring, a piece of sweet sugar cane can satisfy your cravings without worrying about your blood sugar levels rising - this is a heartwarming gift from science. Of course, it is best to eat it in moderation, especially for people with blood sugar problems, who must follow their doctor's advice.

But at least, we can stop "wrongly blaming" this bamboo-like sugarcane with a purple or yellow-green skin - a natural dessert that has been with us for thousands of years.

Next time, when we pass by a sugarcane stand, we might as well put aside our prejudice against it and enjoy the sweetness of this season in moderation. After all, this sugarcane is not a fruit, and its glycemic index is not high!

References

1. Jenkins DJ, Wolever TM, Taylor RH, et al. The glycemic index of foods: the physiological basis of carbohydrate exchange. Am J Clin Nutr. 1981;34(3):362-366. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/34.3.362

2. Shanmugam S, Krishnamoorthy S, Ramaswamy R, et al. Polyphenols from sugarcane extract improve insulin resistance by enhancing glucose utilization in C2C12 myotubes and db/db mice. Nutr Metab (Lund). 2021;18(1):45. doi:10.1186/s12986-021-00564-1

3. Suez J, Cohen Y, Valdés-Mas R, et al. Personalized microbiome-driven effects of nonnutritive sweeteners on human glucose tolerance. Cell. 2022;185(18):3307-3328.e19.doi:10.1016/j.cell.2022.07.016