Can seaweed help keep blood sugar low after eating rice?
Effects of Undaria pinnatifida (Wakame) on Postprandial Glycemia and Insulin Levels in Humans: a Randomized Crossover Trial
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Wakame reduced insulin levels just as much as glucose — meaning the body didn’t need to overproduce insulin to handle the sugar.
Most people assume insulin spikes are just a side effect of sugar — but this suggests wakame may directly improve insulin sensitivity, not just slow sugar absorption.
Practical Takeaways
Sprinkle 4g (1 tsp) of dried wakame on rice, pasta, or oatmeal at meals to blunt post-meal sugar spikes.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Wakame reduced insulin levels just as much as glucose — meaning the body didn’t need to overproduce insulin to handle the sugar.
Most people assume insulin spikes are just a side effect of sugar — but this suggests wakame may directly improve insulin sensitivity, not just slow sugar absorption.
Practical Takeaways
Sprinkle 4g (1 tsp) of dried wakame on rice, pasta, or oatmeal at meals to blunt post-meal sugar spikes.
Publication
Journal
Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
Year
2019
Authors
Keiko Yoshinaga, R. Mitamura
Related Content
Claims (5)
When you eat wakame with rice, your body doesn’t need to pump out as much insulin to handle the sugar, which might help your cells respond better to insulin.
Adding a small amount of wakame seaweed to rice helps keep your blood sugar and insulin from spiking too high right after eating.
Adding a tiny bit of wakame to your rice or pasta might be an easy way to keep your blood sugar from shooting up after meals, especially if you’re at risk for diabetes.
Wakame starts working to lower blood sugar and insulin just 30 minutes after you eat it with rice.
Wakame works a bit like other high-fiber foods to slow down sugar absorption after meals.