"Nuts" To Tighten The Bolts On Diabetes!

Researchers believe that unsaturated fats in nuts may allow the body to use insulin more effectively and regulate blood glucose. Since nuts are high in fat, they should act as a substitute for other foods, such as meats or grain products. This is a major advantage for those who are already overweight and are trying to shed some pounds.

The study found a tendency among women who consumed more nuts to weigh and smoke less and be more active than women who ate fewer nuts. They also had a lesser incidence of diabetes.

But research in the past decade has shown that nuts generally contain good kinds of fat as well as other nutrients that can help keep cholesterol at healthy levels.

Nuts contain fiber and magnesium, which help maintain balanced insulin and glucose levels. Insulin helps the body convert sugar into energy. Diabetes happens when the body cannot produce or properly use insulin.

Peanuts are actually classified as legumes but have many of the same qualities as nuts are among foods sometimes recommended for diabetics, who are prone to cardiovascular disease.

Harvard researchers who studied data on the eating habits of more than 80,000 women reported that women who ate five ounces of nuts or more a week were 30 percent less likely to develop the disease than women who rarely or never ate nuts.

The risk fell to 20 percent for women who ate five tablespoons or more of peanut butter spread a week.

It's not clear exactly why the nuts protect against type II diabetes, which typically inflicts adults in their 40s and older and can lead to a cascade of medical problems, including serious cardiovascular problems, kidney disease, amputation of limbs and even blindness.

But the findings support the idea that it is specific types of fat rather than total fat as a percentage of energy that is important in triggering the onset of the disease.

Nuts contain 70 to 80 percent fat, but most of it is unsaturated, which has been shown to be good for insulin sensitivity and blood cholesterol.

Saturated fat and trans-fat, on the other hand, are known to adversely affect glucose metabolism and insulin resistance, potentially increasing the risk for type II diabetes.

Researchers reccomnend that people should not simply add nuts to the diet. Thus they can reduce their calorie intake and avoid the risk of obesity. Ideally, people should substitute nuts for less healthy foods like refined carbohydrates like white bread and processed red meats.

Type II or adult-onset diabetes affects 16 million people in the United States, and 135 million worldwide and the number of people with diabetes is expected to reach an estimated 300 million globally by 2025. It is high time the public health authorities realized the proportions of this menace and did some thing about it.

Working out a well thought out plan for raising the awareness among people about diabetes is one way of addressing the issue. The aim of the process should be to make significant changes in the lifestyle of people with established risk for developing the disease.