Friday, February 22, 2008

'Keeping Diabetes at Bay' by Cynthia Dermody

1. Drink Milk

A Scandinavian study found that adding whey, a protein in milk, to high-carbohydrate meals increases insulin secretion and lowers blood sugar levels. Researchers have yet to figure out how whey does this, but they say it may be that whey protein is highly digestible and releases high levels of amino acids in the blood. The acids summon the insulin release that is necessary to control blood sugar. Another report from Harvard found that men who drank the most low-fat milk had a 23% lower risk of developing diabetes than men who drank only a little milk.

2. Snack on Walnuts

People with diabetes and those at risk for the condition are told to eat oily fish like tuna or salmon twice a week because it helps reduce the amount of saturated fats in their diet and because it supplies omega-3 polyunsaturated acids, which protect against heart disease, the No.1 killer of diabetics.

But many people don’t eat that much fish. Australian researchers found that having a daily walnut snack (about a handful) and eating slightly less fish boosted omega-3s and lowered saturated fat better than fish alone.

3. Get some sleep

Boston University researchers recently found that people who slept too little (six hours or less a night) were 66% more likely to have diabetes than those who slept seven to eight hours.

Study author Daniel J.Gottlieb, MD, a professor of medicine, speculates that insufficient sleep causes the release of adrenaline-like substances that induce insulin resistance, though more research in this area is needed.

Excerpt from Reader’s Digest, February 2008

My grateful thanks to Cynthia Dermody and Reader’s Digest.

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