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You can add a pinch of cumin seeds or dried cumin powder to your food to enhance its taste and flavour. But there's more to this miracle spice than just imparting a unique flavour to food. Drinking a glass of jeera water before meals can aid in digestion whereas drinking it around 2 hours before sleep can help you get a good night sleep. However, not many people are aware that cumin can help control diabetes.
How do cumin seeds help?
The antidiabetic potential of cumin seeds is attributed to the presence of thymoquinone, an active chemical component that protects the B-cells of the pancreas from oxidative stress. It also helps in increasing the production of insulin in the body, thereby aiding in keeping your blood glucose under control [1].
It most cases, cumin seeds are used as an adjuvant therapy along with oral medications in people with type 2 diabetes. A 2010 study [2] revealed that a dose of 2gm/day showed significant reductions in fasting blood glucose, post prandial blood glucose (2 hours post meals) and HbA1c without significant change in body weight.
How to take cumin seeds
You can add roasted jeera powder to dal, yoghurt or salad to include this spice in a diet. On the other hand, you can simply drink a glass of jeera water 30 minutes after meals every day to keep your blood glucose in control, suggests Luke Coutinho, M.D. Alternative Medicine and Holistic Nutritionist, who went live on FB to discuss the health benefits of jeera from weight loss to immunity.
If you are already taking medications for diabetes, then make sure you keep a tab on your intake of cumin seeds. This is because, excessive intake of cumin seeds can make your blood glucose too low or hypoglycemia, which could indicate a medical emergency. Also read about 6 common symptoms of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.
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