Japanese recipes to protect cardiovascular health

The food we eat every day directly affects blood sugar levels. According to Japanese research, over 1400 million Japanese people experience rapid increases in blood sugar levels after meals. Even those who haven't been diagnosed with diabetes can still unknowingly damage their blood vessels, potentially leading to a range of long-term health problems.

The importance of stabilizing blood sugar cannot be ignored

Blood sugar testing is typically divided into three main indicators: fasting blood sugar, postprandial blood sugar, and average blood sugar level. These are common and basic items in health checkups. Under normal circumstances, fasting blood sugar remains within a certain stable range, but postprandial blood sugar levels can fluctuate depending on the diet.

Generally speaking, blood sugar levels peak approximately one to two hours after eating, and the normal range should be maintained below 1 mg/dL. If blood sugar levels frequently exceed this level after meals, even if diabetes has not yet developed, it may pose potential health risks, particularly chronic damage to blood vessels, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, angina, and stroke. Furthermore, long-term excessive blood sugar fluctuations are also believed to be linked to dementia and certain types of cancer.

Increased blood sugar fluctuations increase the risk of disease

The Ginza Taijiang Internal Medicine Clinic, a renowned diabetes clinic in Japan, points out that chronically high blood sugar levels not only impair insulin function but also significantly increase the risk of various chronic diseases. Studies have shown that people with poor blood sugar control have a 1.9-fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease, a 1.6-fold increased risk of cancer, and a 1.5-fold increased risk of dementia.

Miso soup with tomatoes helps stabilize blood sugar after meals

How to achieveControl blood sugarDr. Yasue Shintaro, director of the Ginza Yasue Internal Medicine Clinic, offered specific advice. As a leading expert in diabetes in Japan, he emphasized that the core of dietary management lies in "reducing sugar and carbohydrate intake," and recommended that each patient limit their daily sugar intake to 150 grams.

Within this dietary framework, Dr. Taijiang recommends a simple and practical combination: adding tomatoes to miso soup, which can help effectively control the rise in blood sugar after meals. Miso soup is a common soup in traditional Japanese cuisine. It is primarily made from grains such as soybeans, rice, or wheat, fermented with salt and koji. This fermentation process produces isoflavone derivatives, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic properties.

According to a large 2019-year dietary tracking study released by the Japan National Cancer Center in March 3, which followed the dietary habits and mortality risks of 20 men and women aged 8 to 40, it was found that women who regularly consumed soy-based foods had a significantly lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and a reduced mortality rate.

Lycopene in tomatoes is a good helper for controlling blood sugar

On the other hand, tomatoes are rich inLycopeneTomatoes are a powerful natural antioxidant that has been shown to help lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, positively impacting blood sugar stability. Furthermore, tomatoes contain a variety of nutrients, including phosphorus, iron, potassium, sodium, magnesium, and vitamin C, which help replenish the trace elements and vitamins needed by the human body.

When tomatoes are eaten with miso soup, the lycopene in the tomatoes works synergistically with the β-conglycinin in the miso, further increasing adiponectin levels in the body. Adiponectin is a hormone secreted by fat cells that promotes normal insulin secretion and improves insulin sensitivity, significantly helping to control blood sugar levels after meals.

Overall, miso soup with tomatoes is not only a nutritionally balanced and delicious home-cooked dish, but also a simple and practical diet strategy that helps stabilize blood sugar after meals and reduceChronic disease riskIt is very suitable for daily consumption by people who are concerned about their health, especially those who need to manage blood sugar.