Diabetes type 2 symptoms tend to appear in later life, when the condition is more likely to develop.
Symptoms of this type of diabetes include a frequent need to urinate and an increase in hunger and thirst.
Treatment for the condition involves changes to diet and lifestyle, to enable a sufferer to better control blood sugar levels.
During summer and with British berry season due to peak over the next two months, you may wonder if you can eat this home grown produce.
Diabetes UK says that sufferers can eat British strawberries, and other types of fruit as they come into season.
“You might think that the sugar content of fruit means you can’t eat it,” writes the UK-based charity on its website.
“But, the sugar in fruit is natural, and it is not this type of sugar we need to cut down on.”
Diabetes UK considers strawberries as part of your five a day.
You could have as many as seven British summertime strawberries to make up your five a day.
Other summertime fruits you could eat include two plums and 14 cherries as part of your five a day.
Everyday Health, a US-based website on the condition, says you should count strawberries “among the best foods for diabetics”.
It mentions a 2011 study from PLoS ONE, that found eating 37 of the red berries a day ay help diabetics avoid symptoms such as vision, nerve and kidney problems.
Conducted by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the study found that the flavonoid fisetin in strawberries lowered kidney enlargement, and reduced the amount of protein in urine.
Damage to the back of the eye and nerves due to diabetes also decreased.
“Those 37 strawberries a day won’t change how we treat [people with diabetes], but the study may point us in the direction of growing healthier strawberries with this flavonoid,” said Donna Wihofen, senior nutritionist at the University of Wisconsin Hospital, to Everyday Health.
The British strawberry season begins in May, and peaks throughout June and July, according to British Summer Fruits, the industry body representing berry suppliers in the UK.
“The best thing is that strawberries can be enjoyed when dining al fresco as part of a mina course or dessert, straight from the punnet at a picnic, or simply with cream or ice cream,” they add on their website.
Other foods that could help you control your blood sugar levels included grapes, which have a relatively low glycemic index and are a great snack for diabetes patients.
They increase insulin sensitivity in patients, while also managing your blood sugar, said nutritionist Dr Josh Axe on his website.
Grapes contain antioxidants, called polyphenols, which lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as obesity and metabolic syndrome, he said.
“Evidence suggests that polyphenols in grapes and grape products may reduce metabolic syndrome and prevent development of obesity and type 2 diabetes by acting as multi-target modulators with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects,” said Axe.
