There’s good news for those who live with type 2 diabetes. New research says nuts can help lower your blood sugar. If you have type 2 diabetes, consider replacing some of the carbohydrates in your diet with a handful or two of nuts.

A recent article by registered dietitian, Leslie Beck, reports on a new study that says eating about half a cup of nuts each day can help people with diabetes lower their blood glucose and cholesterol levels. This study, among countless others, continues to point towards the important health benefits of nuts. Some studies have even linked nuts with protection from heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and even Alzheimer’s disease. 

Some are quick to point out that nuts have a high fat content, yet multiple studies have not linked nuts with weight gain. In fact, since nuts contain mainly unsaturated fat – polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats – many scientists believe the fat content of nuts is what makes them so healthy. Plant protein and fibre may also play a role. 

The study on nuts and type 2 diabetes was published in the August issue of Diabetes Care and was led by David Jenkins, director of the Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Here is an overview of his findings:

• Researchers told 117 people with type 2 diabetes to replace some of the usual carbohydrates in their diet with nuts, a healthy muffin or a combination of the two.
• One group was given roughly 2.5 ounces (475 calories worth) of unsalted mixed nuts; a second group received a low-sugar, whole-wheat muffin; and the third group a half nut/half muffin combination.
• After three months, those who at 2.5 ounces of nuts daily had better control of their blood sugar and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels than participants in the other two groups.
• Of special note, people in this study were already taking diabetes medications and typically had good blood sugar control. Nuts provided a beneficial effect above what was achieved by medication, pointing towards the importance of diet in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, even when taking medication.

Interested in adding more nuts to your daily diet? Try these tips:

• Top your morning breakfast cereal with peanuts
• Add a tablespoon of peanut butter to smoothies
• Snack on a handful of peanuts mixed with dried apricots or cranberries
• Toss a handful of peanuts into an Asian-style stir-fry
• Add nuts to side dishes – hazelnuts to brown rice, pine nuts to couscous, or almonds to green beans

Source: Globe and Mail, July 12, 2011