As of 2015, an
estimated 415 million people had diabetes worldwide, with type 2
Diabetes Mellitus making up about 90% of the cases. It is safe
to say, Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions of our time.
It requires not just medical management but lifestyle changes and a lot of
commitment from both patients and their families. At our facility, we help you
manage your diabetes with not just medication but lifestyle and nutrition
advice and ensure regular follow ups to reduce the risks of other conditions/
complications.
An article recently published by Medical News Today talks about
the “healthy fats” that people with diabetes can be encouraged to eat. Accessed
here
Eat more healthy fat to reduce the risk of type 2
diabetes
Eating more unsaturated fats instead
of carbohydrates decreases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, says
research published in PLOS Medicine.
Oily fish is a good source of unsaturated fat that can help reduce the chance of type 2 diabetes.
Replacing carbohydrate and saturated fats with healthy fats, such as
polyunsaturated fats, lowers blood sugar levels and improves insulin control, according to findings from a new
meta-analysis. Around the world, there has been a sharp increase in the rates
of insulin resistance and type
2 diabetes. In the United States, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 29.1 million people have diabetes. That is approximately 9.3 percent of the
population.
To treat existing diabetes, the CDC urge
people to eat healthily, exercise regularly, and use medications that reduce
blood glucose levels. They also emphasize the need to reduce cardiovascular
disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high lipid levels, and to avoid tobacco
use.
High LDL cholesterol associated
with diabetes
CDC statistics indicate that between
2009-2012, 65 percent of people with diagnosed diabetes who were aged 18 years
and above either had high levels of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol in the blood, or they were using drugs to
lower cholesterol.
Amid urgent calls for new ways to prevent type
2 diabetes, some research has focused on how different carbohydrates and dietary
fats impact metabolic health.
This has been controversial, and it has led to
confusion regarding dietary guidelines and health priorities. Senior author Dr.
Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and
Policy at Tufts University in Medford, MA, and first author Fumiaki Imamura, of
the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of
Cambridge, United Kingdom, led the meta-analysis.
'Don't fear healthy fats'
They looked at data for 4,660 adults that had
been collected in 102 studies. In the randomized, controlled trials, the adults
were given meals containing various types and quantities of carbohydrate and
fat.
The researchers examined how these variations
in diet impacted measures of metabolic health, and specifically, how saturated,
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates impact the
development of type 2 diabetes.
The study focused on key biological markers of
glucose and insulin control. These were blood sugar, blood insulin, insulin
resistance and sensitivity, and how well the body was able to produce insulin
in response to blood sugar.
Results suggested that consuming foods rich in
monounsaturated fat or polyunsaturated fat had a positive effect on blood
glucose control, compared with consumption of dietary carbohydrate or saturated
fat.
For each 5 percent of dietary energy that was
switched from carbohydrates or saturated fats to mono- or polyunsaturated fats,
they found a drop of around 0.1 percent in HbA1c - a blood marker of long-term
glucose control.
Previous research has suggested that for each
0.1 percent decrease in HbA1c, the incidence of type 2 diabetes drops by 22
percent and the chance of developing cardiovascular diseases falls by 6.8
percent.
Imamura notes that replacing carbohydrates and
saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats appears to be consistently beneficial.
Imamura adds: "This is a positive message
for the public. Don't fear healthy fats."
"The world faces an epidemic of
insulin resistance and diabetes. Our findings support preventing and treating
these diseases by eating more fat-rich foods like walnuts, sunflower seeds,
soybeans, flaxseed, fish, and other
vegetable oils and spreads, in place of refined grains, starches, sugars, and
animal fats."-Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian
This is the first time a team has
systematically reviewed all the available evidence measuring the effects of
carbohydrate and different kinds of fat in the diet.
The authors hope that the results will help
scientists, healthcare workers, and the public to set priorities that will help
to combat the worldwide problem of type 2 diabetes.
DurraiyaKamal Medical Clinic, established in 1992, has a panel of highly experienced
and committed practitioners who are able to offer the finest private healthcare
according to international standards. The Clinic is a multi-specialty health
centre which provides specialist care in Family Medicine, Paediatrics, Internal
Medicine, ENT, Surgery, Urology, Dental Care, Physiotherapy and Radiology all
under one roof.
