BOSTON—Excess weight is the No. 1 risk factor for type 2 diabetes--a disease that affects nearly one of every 13 Americans.
What's the connection between weight and diabetes? Fat cells secrete hormones and other chemical signals that eventually lead to insulin resistance and then diabetes.
Two newly updated reports from Harvard Medical School explain how weight control and food choices can help manage, and even prevent, type 2 diabetes.
The reports are entitled "Diabetes: A plan for living" and "Healthy Eating for Type 2 Diabetes."
Several foods and beverages have been linked to a lower risk of developing diabetes:
Fiber. Fiber from cereals, breads, and grains seems to be the most beneficial. Eating plenty of whole grains appears to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 40% compared with a diet low in whole grains.
Coffee. One cup of coffee a day--decaf or regular--lowered type 2 diabetes risk by 13%, and two to three cups a day cut the risk by 42%, compared with no coffee intake at all.
Moderate alcohol. Compared with men who abstained from alcohol, men who had two to four drinks per week had a 26% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Five to six drinks per week dropped the risk even more, by 33%, while one or more drinks a day cut risk by 43%.
Nuts. Women who ate nuts or peanut butter at least five times a week had a risk of type 2 diabetes 20% to 30% lower than those who rarely ate nuts.
To be sure, these aren't "wonder foods" that will magically ward off diabetes, and the relationship between eating specific foods and type 2 diabetes risk remains a topic of some debate.
Overall, though, the findings are consistent with what experts consider healthy eating habits for most adults. What's more, all of the dietary substances linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (with the exception of alcohol) have also been associated with weight loss.
Also in Diabetes: A plan for living:
Who's at risk for type 2 diabetes?
Managing your diabetes
Medications for diabetes
Alternative treatments for diabetes
Pregnancy and diabetes
Also in Healthy Eating for Type 2 Diabetes:
The elements of a healthy diet
Meal-planning basics
Special bonus section: Healthy recipes
For more information or to order the publications, go to Harvard Health Publications or by calling (877) 649-9457 (toll-free).
To read more about the oral-systemic connection, go to oral-systemic connection.
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