posted 12/02/02
Just say "nuts" to diabetes, advises a new study by Harvard researchers. The study showed women who consume peanut butter or other forms of nuts five or more times a week have a 27-percent lower risk of getting the disease.
Diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions, affecting about 16 million people in the United States and 135 million people worldwide. By 2025, more than 300 million people are expected to be diagnosed with the disease, which can lead to numerous complications, including blindness and amputations.
Studies have shown changes in diet can significantly modify the risk for diabetes, and evidence suggests unsaturated fats, such as those found in nuts, may be beneficial for controlling blood sugar and insulin, as well as lowering the risk of heart disease. These researchers looked at the effect of nut consumption on diabetes risk among more than 83,000 nurses taking part in the Nurses' Health Study. All completed a dietary questionnaire in 1980 and were then follow-up for the next 16 years. At that point, about 3,200 of the participants had developed type 2 diabetes.
Results on peanut butter and other nut consumption were gathered for the group, with participants classified into one of four categories: never/almost never eaten, eaten less than once a week, eaten one to four times per week, and eaten five or more times a week. Researchers found no change in diabetes risk among the never/almost never eaters. Those who ate peanut butter or nuts less than once a week reduced their risk by 8 percent. Those who consumed the products one to four times a week saw their risk drop 16 percent, and those who ate nuts or peanut butter five or more times a week had a 27-percent lower risk. The findings held true even after researchers adjusted the results to consider other diabetes risk factors.
Although the researchers note peanut butter and nuts are high in calories, they believe these products can and should play a larger role in healthy diets. "Given the observed inverse association between nuts and risk of coronary heart disease as well as type 2 diabetes, it is advisable to recommend regular nut consumption as a replacement for refined grain products or red or processed meats, which would avoid increasing caloric intake," they write.
Source: Ivanhoe Newswire: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2002;288;2554-2560.
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