Going for the Grains May Cut Diabetes Risk

[Guest guest]

Going for the Grains May Cut Diabetes Risk

August 23, 2002 05:49 PM ET

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In the long run, men who chow down on a diet

rich in whole-grains may reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers

report.

According to a study in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, whole-grain products--such as brown rice, oats, corn and

barley--were protective against diabetes. Men who ate the most whole-grain

products were less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than men who

consumed mostly refined grains--like those found in cookies, doughnuts,

pasta or white rice, the study results show.

Because whole grain results in lower levels of blood glucose (sugar), the

body does not have to produce as much insulin to process the food. Refined

grains, on the other hand, result in more than double the amount of sugar in

the blood and cause more insulin to be secreted than whole-grain products.

And experts point out that whole grains contain vitamins and nutrients that

may be important in modifying the risk of the disease.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body fails to respond to insulin, the

hormone that clears the blood of sugar after a meal and deposits it into

cells to use for energy. High blood sugar can increase the risk of

complications from diabetes such as heart disease, kidney failure and

blindness.

" Efforts should be made to replace refined-grain with whole-grain foods, "

writes T. Fung of College in Boston, Massachusetts and

colleagues.

The team of researchers looked at the eating and lifestyle habits of nearly

43,000 healthy men and followed them for roughly 12 years.

At the end of the study period, 1,197 men had developed type 2 diabetes. Men

who consumed the least amount of whole grains, about 0.4 servings per day,

were nearly 60% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared with men who

consumed the most--about 3.2 servings of whole-grains per day.

In other findings, Fung's team discovered that the benefit of eating whole

grains wasn't just limited to lean men. Obese men who were getting exercise

and consuming whole grains were 52% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes,

the authors report.

" Given the current overall low intake of whole grains, efforts should be

made to decrease the cost and increase the availability and consumption of

whole-grain products, " Fung and colleagues conclude. " This has the potential

to reduce substantially the incidence of type 2 diabetes and possibly other

chronic diseases when sustained over time. "

The National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association

funded the study.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;76:535-540.