: Kerala Mans New Jackfruit Flour Helps Control Diabetes, Bags National Award #IndiaNEWS #healthy living Jackfruit is now clinically proven to reduce blood sugar levels and help reverse diabetes. According

Kerala Mans New Jackfruit Flour Helps Control Diabetes, Bags National Award #IndiaNEWS #healthy living
Jackfruit is now clinically proven to reduce blood sugar levels and help reverse diabetes. According to a study published by the American Diabetes Association, it brings down glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and postprandial glucose (PPG).
The conclusion of the study is based on a randomized, double-blind design where 20 of the 40 participants with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were given 30 grams of green flour made from jackfruit for three months. The rest used regular wheat or rice flour to make rotis or idlis.
At the end of the study, that was approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), it was found that people who mixed flour in their idli batter or wheat dough showed improvement in their plasma glucose levels.
Vinu Nair, a 51-year-old diabetic patient has been adding green flour to his diet since September 2018. Not only has his sugar levels been in control but it has also helped in reducing carbs and cholesterol levels. He runs for about 60-70 kms every month and exercises 2 to 3 times a week.
I started consuming the flour along with my medication but soon realised that two tablets and flour were lowering my readings. Three months into the diet, both my HbA1c and tablet consumption reduced. It has been four months now since I stopped the medication and I am only sticking to flour, Chennai-based Vinu tells The Better India.
James Joseph, the founder of Jackfruit 365, a company that sells the fruit in a freeze-dried form, is the brain behind this new study. His 8-year-old company sells frozen jackfruit, which has a better shelf life and goes back to its original form if soaked in lukewarm water.
Read More: Why he left a cushy job in Microsoft to promote his native fruit as a superfood.
The 49-year-old recently received a National Startup India award, for ‘Food’ in the category ‘Food Processing’ for his new product a green jackfruit flour.
James Joseph, founder of Jackfruit365
An Accidental Discovery
Kochi-based James was always aware that the fibre-rich fruit is a potent carbohydrate substitute for people with diabetes as the glycemic load (glucose level) in unripe jackfruit is almost half that of rice or wheat.
An accidental discovery in 2014 triggered the idea of green flour.
“In a casual interaction with a diabetic priest, he mentioned how he had substituted traditional rice with unripened jackfruit, and after a few days, his insulin intake lowered. The fibre helps food digest faster and reduces blood sugar levels. This gave birth to the idea of making jackfruit an integral part of people’s diet,??? James tells The Better India.
This was during the same time when James’ published his book, ‘God Own Office’.