Diet

Posted on Diabetes, Diet, Exercise

Delaying the onset of diabetes through diet and exercise for 4 years leads to improved long-term health.

Maintaining prediabetic status after diagnosis reduces risk of death decades later
Maintaining prediabetic status after diagnosis reduces the risk of death decades later

Individuals diagnosed with prediabetes can reduce their long-term risk of death and diabetes-related health complications if they delay the onset of diabetes for just four years through diet and exercise, according to Guangwei Li of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital.

Type 2 diabetes is linked to a higher risk of death and disability and places a substantial economic burden on individuals and societies globally. Making lifestyle changes, like eating a healthy diet and increasing physical activity, can postpone or decrease the risk of developing diabetes in people diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance, also known as prediabetes. However, it is still uncertain how long a person needs to delay diabetes to guarantee better long-term health.

In a recent study, researchers examined the health outcomes of 540 prediabetic individuals enrolled in the original Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Study. This six-year trial took place in Da Qing City, China, starting in 1986. The participants were divided into a control group and three lifestyle intervention groups. The lifestyle intervention groups focused on following a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, or both. The trial monitored the participants for over 30 years.

Li’s team conducted a study to assess the long-term risks for participants with diabetes. They discovered that individuals who remained non-diabetic for at least four years after their initial diagnosis had a much lower risk of dying and experiencing cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, strokes, or heart failure, compared to those who developed diabetes earlier. This protection was not observed in individuals who remained non-diabetic for less than four years.

Overall, the analysis indicates that delaying the onset of diabetes for prediabetic individuals leads to improved long-term health outcomes. Even maintaining prediabetic status for just a few years can have long-lasting benefits.

The authors state, “This study suggests that individuals with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) who maintain a longer duration of non-diabetes status experience better health outcomes and reduced mortality. Implementing effective interventions for individuals with IGT should be considered as a strategy for preventing diabetes and diabetes-related vascular complications.”

Posted on Diet

Limiting ultra-processed foods does not necessarily make for a healthy diet.

Study calls into question the level of processing as a proxy for diet quality
Study calls into question the level of processing as a proxy for diet quality

New research shows that eating mostly minimally processed foods, as defined by the NOVA classification system, may not necessarily result in a healthy diet. This suggests that the specific types of foods we consume could have a greater impact on our health than the level of processing used to make them.

When comparing two menus that represent a typical Western diet, one focusing on minimally processed foods and the other on ultra-processed foods as categorized by the NOVA classification system, the researchers discovered that the less processed menu was more than twice as expensive. Furthermore, it reached its expiration date over three times faster without providing any additional nutritional value.

“This study suggests that it’s possible to maintain a poor diet even when predominantly consuming minimally processed foods,” stated Julie Hess, PhD, a research nutritionist at the USDA-ARS Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, who conducted the study. “It also demonstrates that both highly processed and less processed diets can be equally nutritious or non-nutritious, but the highly processed diet may have a longer shelf life and be more cost-effective.”

The latest research expands on a study published last year. It showed that it is achievable to create a nutritious menu that meets dietary recommendations while mostly using ultra-processed foods for its calories. In the new study, the researchers explored the reverse question: Can a low-quality menu primarily consist of calories from “simple” foods?

Two menus were created to determine the impact of food processing. The first menu derived 20% of its calories from ultra-processed foods, while the second menu derived 67% of its calories from ultra-processed foods. The level of processing for each menu was evaluated using the NOVA classification system.

The two menus were found to have a Healthy Eating Index score of approximately 43-44 out of 100. This score reflects poor adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The researchers estimated that the less-processed menu would cost $34.87 per day per person, while the more-processed menu would cost $13.53 per day. Additionally, they calculated that the median time to expiration for the less-processed menu items was 35 days, compared to 120 days for the more-processed menu items.s

The study draws attention to the disconnect between food processing and nutritional value. Hess noted that some nutrient-dense packaged foods, such as unsweetened applesauce, ultrafiltered milk, liquid egg whites, and some brands of raisins and canned tomatoes, can be classified as ultra-processed.

“The results of this study indicate that building a nutritious diet involves more than a consideration of food processing as defined by NOVA,” said Hess. “The concepts of ‘ultra-processed’ foods and ‘less-processed’ foods need to be better characterized by the nutrition research community.”

Posted on Diabetes, Diet

Research uncovers heart-protective eating patterns for type 1 diabetes.

More closely following Mediterranean or DASH diets is linked with lower cardiovascular disease risk
More closely following Mediterranean or DASH diets is linked with lower cardiovascular disease risk.

Eating patterns aligning with the Mediterranean or DASH diet may reduce cardiovascular disease risk in adults with type 1 diabetes, according to a six-year study.

The DASH and Mediterranean diets are both considered heart-healthy. They emphasize plant-based foods, healthy fats, lean proteins, and low intake of processed foods and sugars.

“Individuals with type 1 diabetes are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, which increases the chances of experiencing heart attacks, strokes, and other serious health issues,” explained Dr. Arpita Basu, who is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Nevada. “Our study aimed to understand the impact of people’s regular eating habits on blood inflammatory markers, which can predict the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults with type 1 diabetes.”

“Both the DASH and Mediterranean diets showed protective associations, indicating that these dietary patterns can make a difference when consumed regularly,” said Basu. “Our findings are more practical than those from clinical studies of these diets because they typically involve manipulating dietary behaviour in a way that may not be sustainable in daily life.”

The new study builds on previous research that demonstrated a connection between DASH and Mediterranean dietary patterns and reduced fat accumulation around the heart in adults, both with and without type 1 diabetes. These dietary patterns were also linked to lower chances of coronary artery calcification, an advanced form of heart disease, in adults without diabetes.

“This new study reports the protective associations of these diets with selected blood cardiovascular disease markers that may explain our previous findings and provide new data on how diet affects inflammation in type 1 diabetes,” Basu said.

During the six-year study, 1,255 adults were involved, including 563 with type 1 diabetes and 692 without diabetes. Researchers used a food frequency questionnaire to assess their diet to gather information on different food groups. This data was then used to calculate nutrient intake over the six-year period and evaluate how closely participants’ dietary patterns matched three commonly used diets for managing cardiovascular disease: the Mediterranean diet, the alternative healthy eating index (AHEI), and DASH.

The researchers also analyzed a variety of blood markers commonly used in clinical settings to assess cardiovascular disease risk and inflammation. These markers included C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and homocysteine (Hcy).

The study found that people who followed diets more in line with the DASH and Mediterranean patterns and therefore scored higher on those indices had lower levels of Hcy and PAI-1. This was after taking into account other demographic and lifestyle factors such as body mass index, age, total caloric intake, blood lipids, blood pressure, smoking, and physical activity. However, no associations were found between AHEI scores and any of the biomarkers studied.

The researchers note that although Hcy has been consistently shown to increase cardiovascular disease risk, its association with dietary patterns has not been previously studied in type 1 diabetes.

The analysis also revealed that adults with type 1 diabetes generally consume a high-fat diet, mostly as a consequence of decreasing carbohydrates and increasing animal protein foods that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol.

Basu emphasized the critical importance of addressing dietary quality in adults with type 1 diabetes. In a clinical setting, using the DASH and Mediterranean dietary checklists to assess dietary intakes could be an effective way to identify gaps and improve intakes. Specific foods that are part of these dietary patterns, such as olives and nuts in the Mediterranean diet, could be incorporated into the diet even if the entire diet cannot be altered.