Herbal diet helps fight diabetes

THURSDAY, July 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) – It turns out that the old adage – an apple a day keeps the doctor away – may actually be true. New research suggests that the more you consume herbal foods, the less likely you are to type 2 diabetes.

The study found that people who followed a mostly plant diet reduced their risk of diabetes by 23%.

The badociation was even stronger – a 30% decrease in the risk of type 2 diabetes – in people who ate healthy plant-based foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and other foods. whole grains. These foods contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial ingredients.

So, what is not a particularly healthy plant food? Processed foods and foods with added sugar. Think of foods like white bread, white pasta, cereals, potato chips or cookies. Researchers also did not include starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, in their list of healthy choices.

"An herbal diet is very healthy to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Qi Sun, lead author of the review. He is an badociate professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

And the healthier the plant foods, the better, said Sun. But "you should be picky about the types of foods you consider to be herbal," he added.

Sun also explained that a diet does not have to be strictly vegan or vegetarian to be in good health. He said minimizing animal protein was a good idea, but that choices like fish, chicken and yogurt can still be part of a healthy diet.

The study did not explain exactly why a predominantly herbal diet seemed to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers controlled the data to account for the weight, but Sun said the People who consume more plant-based foods could maintain a healthy weight, which would reduce the risk of diabetes.

He added that it was also possible that beneficial compounds, such as antioxidants and beneficial vegetable oils, help promote insulin sensitivity or reduce inflammation. If you consume more plant-based foods, you probably consume fewer products of animal origin. And this reduces the amount of potentially harmful substances you consume, such as cholesterol, saturated fats and sodium.

The review included nine nutrition studies published between 2008 and 2018. These studies involved more than 300,000 people, nearly 24,000 of whom had type 2 diabetes.

The researchers badyzed the nutritional information provided by the study volunteers.

Although researchers found a link between plant-based foods and a lower likelihood of diabetes, the authors noted that the study was not designed to find a definitive cause-and-effect relationship.

Maudene Nelson, a dietician and diabetes educator from Columbia Health in New York City, was not surprised by the results.

"I like the idea that people eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and legumes, but when they hear that they should eat an essentially vegetable diet, they imagine eating a big head of broccoli, "she said.

And, although you can certainly eat as much broccoli as you like, Nelson said, a healthy, mostly herbal diet can include many attractive options, such as apples and peanut butter. His favorite is a gumbo filled with vegetables. A skewer with more vegetables than meat is also suitable.

"It's not just what you eat, but how much," added Nelson. So, giving up sausages for dinner may be a healthy choice, but if you consume half a chicken instead, you will lose those benefits. Regarding sources of protein, she recommended not to consume more than six ounces per day. It's about the size of two decks of cards.

Sun suggested considering red meat or processed meats such as bacon or cold cuts as an occasional treat. He recommended limiting them to one serving per week.

The results of the study were published online on July 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

More information

Learn more about American Diabetes Association type 2 diabetes prevention.