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A millet-based diet may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and help manage blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, a new study suggests. The study indicated the potential to design appropriate meals with millet for people with diabetes and prediabetics as well as for people without diabetes as a preventative approach. The research results have been published in the journal ‘Frontiers in Nutrition’.
Based on research from 11 countries, the study found that people with diabetes who consumed millet as part of their daily diet saw their blood sugar drop by 12 to 15% (on an empty stomach and after meals), and blood sugar went from diabetic to pre-meal. -the levels of diabetes. HbA1c (hemoglobin-related blood sugar) levels fell on average by 17% in people with prediabetes, and levels went from prediabetic to normal. These results claim that eating millets can lead to a better blood sugar response.
The authors reviewed 80 published human studies of which 65 were eligible for a meta-analysis involving approximately 1,000 human subjects, making this review the largest systematic review to date. “No one knew that there were so many scientific studies conducted on the effect of millet on diabetes and these benefits were often disputed. This systematic review of studies published in scientific journals proved that millets can control blood sugar. and reduce the risk of diabetes. It also showed how successful these smart foods are, “said Dr. S Anitha, lead study author and senior nutrition scientist at ICRISAT.
Mils, including sorghum, were consumed as a staple grain in many parts of the world until half a century ago. Investments in a few crops such as rice, wheat and corn have brought nutritious and climate-smart crops like millet off the plate. “Awareness of this ancient cereal is just starting to spread around the world, and our review shows that millets play a promising role in the management and prevention of type 2 diabetes. In the largest review and analysis of researching different types of millet compared to other grains such as refined rice, corn and wheat, we found that millets outperform their comparison crops with a lower GI and lower blood sugar levels in participants ” observed Professor Ian Givens, co-author of the study and director of the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health at the University of Reading. (IFNH) in the UK.
According to the International Diabetes Association, diabetes is on the increase in all parts of the world. India, China and the United States have the largest number of people with diabetes. Africa has the largest expected increase of 143% from 2019 to 2045, the Middle East and North Africa 96%, and Southeast Asia 74%. The authors urged the diversification of staple foods with millet to control diabetes, especially in Asia and Africa.
Strengthening the case for reintroducing millet as a staple food, the study found that millets have an average low glycemic index (GI) of 52.7, about 36% lower than milled rice and refined wheat. , and about 14 to 37 GI points lower than that of corn. . The 11 types of millets studied could be defined as having a low (55) or medium (55-69) GI, the GI being an indicator of how much and how quickly a food increases blood sugar levels. . The review concluded that even after boiling, cooking, and steaming (the most common way to cook grains), millets had a lower GI than rice, wheat, and corn.
“Mils are cultivated on every inhabited continent, but they remain a ‘forgotten food’. We hope that will change from 2023, when the world observes the International Year of Millet declared by the United Nations, and with studies like this which show millets outperform white rice, corn and wheat, ”said Rosemary Botha, co-author of the study who was based in Malawi at the time of the study, with the International Institute Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). “The global health crisis of undernutrition and over-nutrition coexisting is a sign that our food systems need to be fixed. Greater diversity on the farm and on the plate is the key to transforming food systems. On-farm diversity is a risk mitigation strategy for farmers in the face of climate change while diversity on the plates helps fight related diseases lifestyle such as diabetes, mills are part of the solution to alleviating the challenges associated with malnutrition, human health, degradation of natural resources and climate change. involving multiple stakeholders is necessary to create resilient, sustainable and nutritious food systems, ”said Dr Jacqueline Hughes, Executive Director of ICRISAT.
Professor Paul Inman, Pro-Vice Chancellor (International) of the University of Reading, stressed that “the rapidly accelerating threats of climate change and global health crises, including obesity and diabetes, require that everyone is mobilized. The partnership between ICRISAT and this is exactly what the University of Reading is doing, bringing together our global expertise in human nutrition with ICRISAT’s long-established role as a leader in agricultural research for rural development. The study also identified information gaps and highlighted the need for collaborations to conduct a major diabetes study covering all types of millets and all major treatment methods with consistent testing methodologies. Comprehensive structured information will be very valuable on a global scale, bringing scientific knowledge in this area to the highest level.
“This study is the first in a series of studies on which we have been working for four years as part of the Smart Food initiative led by ICRISAT which will be progressively published in 2021. Systematic reviews with meta-analyzes of impacts are included. millets on diabetes, anemia and iron requirements, cholesterol and cardiovascular disease and calcium deficiencies as well as a review of zinc levels, ”explained Joanna Kane-Potaka, co- author of ICRISAT and Executive Director of the Smart Food Initiative Within this framework, ICRISAT and the Institute for Food Nutrition and Health at the University of Reading have formed a strategic partnership to research and promote the Smart Food vision to make our diets healthier, more sustainable for the environment and good for those who produce it, “added Kane-Potaka. (ANI)
(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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