Diabetes does not only affect sugar levels in the body. It also leads to partial stomach paralysis called gastroparesis, which causes food to remain in undigested longer than usual, resulting in nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn, and lack of appetite.
To lessen these uncomfortable symptoms, researchers from the University of Gothenburg looked for the right diet modifications that could help diabetes patients digest their food easier, reports Science Daily. They placed 56 diabetics with gastroparesis on a small particle diet. After 20 weeks, the participants reported having less gastroparesis symptoms and attacks. The patients showed the same rate of stomach emptying as their healthier counterparts and displayed better blood sugar levels than those who stayed with regular meals.
"A small particle diet probably leads to fewer hypoglycaemic events, and the events that do occur become easier to manage," researcher Eva Olausson explains. "This is of tremendous value to patients."
This diet mainly consists of food that easily falls apart, like boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes, meat loaf, fish gratin, and thin or clear soups.
(Photo by Dinner Series via Flickr Creative Commons)
