More than a summer treat, mangoes may actually support blood sugar levels: Experts

Srinagar, Aug 16: Mango festivals bloom across Indian cities every summer, celebrating not just the fruit’s rich sweetness, but its deep cultural and economic roots. In India, the mango is more than a seasonal treat — it’s a symbol of pride, nostalgia, and even status.

“Every Indian has a favourite mango, and fierce regional loyalties have long fueled passionate debates over which variety reigns supreme,” says Pushpesh Pant, a Delhi-based historian and culinary expert. In his acclaimed book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango, writer Sopan Joshi captures the fruit’s significance: “Good mangoes are not just eaten; they’re admired like fine jewellery. The rules of the mango push the best produce toward those willing to pay the highest price.”

As per a BBC report, India grows more than 1,000 varieties of mangoes, each reflecting its region’s character. Northern and eastern cultivars like Langra, Dasheri, Chausa, and Himsagar are known for their intense sweetness. Southern varieties often carry a more complex sweet-sour profile. Meanwhile, the famed Alphonso from western India owes its legendary status to a perfect balance of sugar and acidity.

So central is the mango to Indian life that the flowering of the tree often marks the beginning of the agricultural year. The great poet Ghalib once called the mango “a sealed glass of honey,” and countless poems, books, and essays have been dedicated to its allure.

At once an indulgence and an emblem, the mango continues to inspire devotion — now with an unexpected endorsement from science, suggesting that this cherished fruit may not only please the palate but support health too.

Can People with Diabetes Eat Mangoes? New Research Challenges Old Beliefs

“Mangoes are an essential part of the Indian summer — their sweetness, variety, and cultural significance make them hard to resist,” says Dr. Rahul Baxi, a leading diabetologist based in Mumbai.

But behind this simple question lies a tangle of myths and confusion. Some believe mangoes should be completely off-limits for people with diabetes, while others go so far as to claim that mangoes can reverse the condition.

This fear has led many with diabetes to avoid mangoes altogether. But emerging research is painting a more nuanced picture — and for mango lovers, it’s surprisingly optimistic.

A second eight-week randomised trial published in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders - conducted at Delhi's Fortis C-DOC with Indian Council of Medical Research funding - has reinforced the findings. Thirty-five adults with type 2 diabetes who replaced their breakfast bread with 250g of mango saw improvements in fasting glucose, haemoglobin A1C test (HbA1c) which measures average blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, weight, waist circumference and HDL cholesterol. These markers are key indicators of diabetes control and overall metabolic health.

Rethinking Mangoes and Blood Sugar

Two recent Indian clinical trials suggest that when consumed in moderation and in place of other carbohydrates (like white bread), mangoes may actually support better blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.

To understand why that matters, it helps to recall the difference between diabetes types:

• Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body produces little or no insulin.
• Type 2 diabetes — which accounts for over 90% of cases globally — involves insulin resistance and is closely linked to excess weight, age, ethnicity, and genetics.

India is home to an estimated 77 million adults with type 2 diabetes, and another 25 million who are prediabetic, according to the World Health Organization.

A pilot study involving 95 participants — soon to be published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition — compared the glycemic responses of three popular Indian mango varieties (Safeda, Dasheri, and Langra) to white bread.

The findings? Mangoes produced similar or even lower blood sugar spikes than white bread over a two-hour period. Continuous glucose monitoring over three days further revealed that people with type 2 diabetes experienced smaller post-meal glucose fluctuations after eating mangoes.

In a country where mangoes are celebrated through seasonal festivals and family traditions, the idea that people with diabetes must avoid them altogether is both disappointing and unnecessary.