Diabetes is at epidemic proportions in
America. According to the American Diabetes Association, 25.8 million
Americans have diabetes, and 79 million have prediabetes, a stage in
which blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be classified
as diabetes. "If diabetes were a communicable disease, it would be
called a pandemic," Dr. Nuha El Sayed of the Joslin Diabetes Center in
Boston, told Newsmax Health. "It's definitely a crisis."
The epidemic shows no signs of slowing.
According to UnitedHealth, more than half of Americans will be diabetic
or prediabetic by 2020. Diabetes brings a host of complications
including heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, nerve damage, poor
circulation, hearing loss, erectile dysfunction, periodontal disease,
and diabetic retinopathy. Studies also show that diabetes increases the
risk of Alzheimer's, and a recent study from the University of
Washington in Seattle found that high blood sugar levels that fall far
short of high enough to be diagnosed as being diabetes increased the
risk for dementia.
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Diabetes is classified as either Type 1 or
Type 2. With Type 1, the body fails to produce the insulin necessary to
convert sugar and starches to energy, while Type 2 diabetics
don't properly use the insulin they produce.
A healthy diet is a proven key in the
fight against diabetes, and studies have shown that some foods are
particularly effective at lowering blood sugar. They include:
• Cinnamon. A study published in Diabetes
Care found that one, three, or six grams of cinnamon daily (as little as
a quarter of a teaspoon) lowered glucose levels by up to 29 percent.
While the results of another study weren't as impressive, a randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial at Imperial College
London found that two grams of cinnamon daily for 12 weeks lowered sugar
levels about 8 percent. Sugar levels in the placebo group rose over the
same period. This common spice contains a substance called MHCP which
has been shown to renew the capacity of fat cells to respond to insulin
and remove glucose. Experts recommend between a quarter of a teaspoon
and a teaspoon daily.
• Vinegar. Vinegar is often touted as a
folk remedy for many illnesses, usually in the form of apple cider
vinegar. Researchers at Arizona State University East found that two
tablespoons of vinegar before meals cut sugar levels in prediabetics by
50 percent, and by 25 percent in diabetics. In addition, a study published in the journal Diabetes Care
found that drinking apple cider vinegar after eating a high-carb
breakfast lowered blood sugar levels by 34 percent in patients with
prediabetes, and by 19 percent in those who had Type 2 diabetes.
"Vinegar appears to have effects similar to some of the most popular
medications for diabetes," said Arizona State University researcher
Carol Johnson.
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• Pomegranates. Pomegranates have long been a popular fruit in the Middle East and India, and they are increasing in popularity in the United States. They have many health benefits running the gamut from arthritis prevention to protection against prostate cancer. Israeli researchers say it also has important benefits for diabetics, showing that drinking six ounces of the juice daily for three months lowered the risk for atherosclerosis, which causes 80 percent of deaths in diabetics. Surprisingly, the researchers found the sugars in the juice did not seem to affect blood sugar levels.
• Pomegranates. Pomegranates have long been a popular fruit in the Middle East and India, and they are increasing in popularity in the United States. They have many health benefits running the gamut from arthritis prevention to protection against prostate cancer. Israeli researchers say it also has important benefits for diabetics, showing that drinking six ounces of the juice daily for three months lowered the risk for atherosclerosis, which causes 80 percent of deaths in diabetics. Surprisingly, the researchers found the sugars in the juice did not seem to affect blood sugar levels.
• Almonds. A study published in the
Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that a diet rich in
almonds improved insulin sensitivity as well as lowered levels of LDL
("bad") cholesterol. Other studies have found that 1.5 to 2 ounces of
almonds daily for women and 2 to 3 ounces daily for men lowered risks of
both diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• Garlic. Long used as a traditional
treatment in many cultures, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Human
Nutrition Center says garlic can increase the level of insulin in the
blood. Both animal and human studies conducted
in Japan, India, and Saudi Arabia show that garlic regulates and lowers
blood sugar. The Indian study found the allicin in garlic combines with
the B vitamin thiamine and stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin.
Some experts recommend a clove of fresh garlic two or three times a day.
Some experts recommend a clove of fresh garlic two or three times a day.
• Apples. A recent study from Harvard
University found that eating two servings of whole fruits a week,
particularly apples, blueberries, and grapes, reduced the risk of Type 2
diabetes by 23 percent. A Finnish study found that men who ate foods
high in quercetin, such as apples, reduced their risk of diabetes by 20
percent. Other sources of quercetin include onions, tomatoes, berries,
and green leafy vegetables.
• Green tea. Green tea helps regulate
blood sugar, and the authors of a study published in the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry wrote that "tea may be a simple,
inexpensive means of preventing or retarding human diabetes." Some
experts recommend two to three cups of green tea each day.
• Chocolate. According to Italian
researchers, the flavonoids in dark chocolate help counteract insulin
insensitivity, the condition that prevents Type 2 diabetics from using
insulin effectively. Eating 100 grams of dark chocolate a day
accelerated the body's metabolism of glucose.
• Whole-fat dairy products. A study in the
Annals of Internal Medicine discovered that a fatty acid found in dairy
products called trans-palmitoleic acid reduces the risk of developing
Type 2 diabetes. Whole-fat products contain more of the fatty acid than
low-fat versions, and people with the highest blood levels lowered their
risk of diabetes by 62 percent compared to those with the lowest
levels. Researchers suggested that three to five servings of whole-fat
dairy products daily would probably produce sufficiently high levels of
fatty acids.
• Pumpkin. Researchers from East China
Normal University say they have discovered chemicals in pumpkins
that successfully helped regenerate damaged pancreatic cells in rats.
The compounds boosted the pancreatic cells, which are the producers of
insulin, to a degree that they believe may eventually eliminate the need
for insulin injections, or the amount of insulin needed will be
drastically reduced. The pumpkin compound was tested on rats with Type 1
diabetes, but the researchers believe it may also help counter Type 2.
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