Processed Meats, Refined Carbs Linked to 70% of Type 2 Diabetes Cases
About 70.3% of the world’s 14.1 million new type 2 diabetes diagnoses in 2018 were attributable to 11 dietary factors, a recent study has found. Three specific dietary factors played the biggest role: not consuming enough whole grains, overconsuming refined grains, and overconsuming processed meats.
“The scientific evidence linking refined grains consumption to type 2 diabetes is clear,” said the study’s first author, Dr. Meghan O’Hearn, Ph.D. “[They] induce rapid blood glucose spikes, conversion of sugar to fat in the liver accumulating around abdominal organs, and also can displace other healthier foods…”
The study involved data taken from dietary intake surveys for countries all around the world. In general, the researchers found that type 2 diabetes was connected to diet most often in urban areas versus rural ones and occurred more frequently among highly educated people.
One way to slow this trend is by replacing refined grains with whole grains, which have a higher fiber content that slows the digestion of sugars. Dr. Vasanti Malik, Sc.D, from the University of Toronto also recommends better front-of-package labeling and restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods/beverages to children.
MIND, Mediterranean Diets May Help Fight Alzheimer’s
Diets rich in leafy green vegetables, other types of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts, and fish may lower Alzheimer’s risk, according to new research. These types of diets were specifically linked to fewer amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain, both of which are related to Alzheimer’s disease.
The study involved 581 people with an average age of 84 at baseline and spanned over 7 years. Two specific diets— MIND and Mediterranean— were pinpointed as corresponding to the lowest amounts of amyloid plaques and tau tangles overall.
In addition, researchers found that participants who ate the highest amounts of green leafy vegetables had plaque amounts in their brains that corresponded to being almost 19 years younger than those who ate the lowest amounts.
"Our finding that eating more green leafy vegetables is in itself associated with fewer signs of Alzheimer's disease in the brain is intriguing enough for people to consider adding more of these vegetables to their diet," said Puja Agarwal, PhD, a study author.
