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Diabetes News
 Diabetes e-news
March, 2010 |
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| Dear visitor: I would like to share with you this interesting article about the benefits of eating walnuts, a traditional food at this time of year. Read on, and enjoy walnuts this holiday season. Alberto Ruiz NMD |
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Walnuts Improve Blood Vessel Health in Diabetics By Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, November 17, 2009, abstracted from "Effects of Walnut Consumption on Endothelial Function in Type 2 Diabetics: A Randomized, Controlled, Cross-Over Trail" printed online October 30, 2009 in Diabetes Care Introduced to the Americas by Spanish explorers in the 1700s (1), walnuts are now the second largest nut crop produced in the U.S. (second only to almonds). Walnuts have been found to help control blood sugar levels (2) and promote eye health (3). Now a new study (4) has found that walnuts may help blood vessel health in diabetics. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention States that more than 24 million Americans have diabetes and this condition now costs our healthcare system more than $174 billion per year (5). In the study, 24 patients with an average age of 58 years followed a diet that included 56 grams (366 calories) of walnuts or no walnuts per day for 8 weeks. Before and after the study, researchers measured the patients' blood vessel circulation (called "flow-mediated dilatation" (6)). They also measured the patients' blood samples for changes in plasma lipids, a protein marker of diabetes called HbA1c, blood sugar (7), insulin sensitivity (how much insulin is needed to lower blood sugar) (8), and body mass (the ratio of height to weight) (9). By the end of the 8 weeks, those in the walnut group had significantly improved" blood vessel circulation compared to the placebo group. specifically, those in the walnut group had a 2.2% increase in flow-mediated dilatation compared to 1.2% in the placebo group (a 46% greater increase in walnut group compared to placebo). Regarding the factors measured in the blood samples, no statistically significant differences were seen between the two groups. For the researchers, "A walnut-enriched ad libitum diet improves (blood vessel health) in type 2 diabetics, suggesting a potential reduction in overall cardiac risk." Reference: |
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