Nuts help regulate blood sugar in diabetics. (Louise McCoy/The Epoch Times)
I am vigorously opposed to this notion for two main reasons: First, science shows that reducing carbohydrate intake is highly beneficial in the management of diabetes [1]. Second, why would diabetics want to base a significant proportion of their diet on foods that are the precise foods diabetics do not handle well in their bodies?
The idea that diabetics should eat plenty of starchy carbohydrate defies both science and common sense.
Also, even if no carbohydrate is eaten, the body can switch to other fuel sources (protein and fat) to make carbohydrate. This means that the body’s absolute requirement for carbohydrate is actually zero.
Now, I wouldn’t recommend that a diabetic or anyone else eat no carbohydrate. Particularly if instigated quickly, this is likely to lead to episodes of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can be serious and even life-threatening.
However, a gradual reduction in carbohydrate intake, paralleled by careful reduction in medication (if appropriate) is generally an effective way to improve diabetic control and reduce the need for medication. It should also help diabetics reduce their risk of the complications of diabetes, which can have a significant impact on the quality and quantity of someone’s life.
In my experience, once diabetics understand these principles, they usually act on them and get the expected benefits. But that does not mean to say that every single meal must be ideal from a nutritional or diabetic-management perspective.
From time to time, food can be eaten because it looks and smells good, not because it’s “nutritionally correct.” Sometimes, not-so-healthy foods are all that’s available, particularly outside the home. What is one to do in these circumstances?
Well, one thing I recommend is that wherever possible, diabetics (and others) carry with them healthy snacks that can take the edge off the appetite and reduce their desire for unhealthy foods.
Also, even when there is no choice, keeping appetite under control is important as it will generally mean less unhealthy food is consumed, which will help limit the damage. As far as snacks go, my preference is nuts.
One reason for this is that they have considerable appetite-sating potential (they “do the job”). Their consumption is also associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease; the risk of which is heightened in diabetes.
Just recently, I came across a study that explored the role that nuts might have in type 2 diabetes [2]. The review mentions research linking eating nuts with improved cardiovascular health and has shown that eating nuts with a sugar-disruptive food tempered the sugar disruption caused by that food.
The review points out that levels of HbA1c (which is measure of blood sugar control over the preceding two to three months) have not been affected by the addition of nuts to the diet. However, HbA1c results are generally slow to change, and the duration of studies may not have been long enough to see benefits in this particular parameter.
The authors also point to research that finds that nut-eating is associated with reduced “oxidative stress” (free radical damage) after meals. This is something that would be expected to help reduce the risk of chronic disease.
The authors recommend that nuts be incorporated into the diets of diabetics “even though their ability to influence overall glycemic control remains to be established.”
I think it’s also worth considering that nut-eating has been shown to help reverse metabolic syndrome—considered to be a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
One of the benefits of nuts is that they are rich in magnesium. There are several studies that link higher magnesium to lower risk of metabolic syndrome [3,4,5]. There is also evidence linking higher magnesium with relative protection from type 2 diabetes [6].
References:
1. Accurso A, et al. Dietary carbohydrate restriction in type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome: time for a critical appraisal. Nutrition & Metabolism (London). 2008 Apr 8; 5(1): 9 [Epub ahead of print]
2. Jenkins DJ, et al. Possible benefit of nuts in type 2 diabetes. Journal of Nutrition. 2008; 138(9): 1752S–1756S
3. McKeown NM, et al. Dietary magnesium intake is related to metabolic syndrome in older Americans. European Journal of Nutrition. 2008; 47(4): 210–6.
4. Song Y, et al. Magnesium intake, C-reactive protein, and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and older U.S. women. Diabetes Care. 2005; 28(6): 1438–44.
5. He K, et al. Magnesium intake and incidence of metabolic syndrome among young adults. Circulation. 2006; 113(13): 1675–82.
6. Larsson SC, et al. Magnesium intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis. Journal of Internal Medicine. 2007; 262(2): 208–14
Dr. John Briffa is a London-based physician and health writer with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine. His Web site is drbriffa.com
