Almonds can help beat diabetes

Almonds are full of dietary fibre and are low on the glycemic index and have dietary fibre, riboflavin, magnesium, protein, calcium and folate which help control type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes currently affects over 425 million people worldwide, with more than 72.9 million cases of diabetes in India in 2017, with most having type 2 diabetes and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and its complications. Lifestyle changes, including improving physical activity, losing excess weight and making important dietary changes, not only help manage type 2 diabetes but can significantly reduce the risk for developing type 2 diabetes and even provide better long-term effects than medication. Almonds impart many cardiovascular benefits to those living with type 2 diabetes:

A study proved that whole, unroasted almonds significantly improve measures of heart health that are linked to type 2 diabetes, including:

o Waist circumference: an indicator of health risk associated with excess fat around the waist

o Waist-to-height ratio: a measure of body fat distribution

o Total cholesterol: measure of the amount of cholesterol in the blood

o Triglycerides: a form of fat in the blood that can raise risk for heart disease

o LDL cholesterol: the bad type of cholesterol that is the main source of cholesterol buildup and blockage in the arteries

o C-reactive protein: a measure of inflammation in the body

o Hemoglobin A1c: a measure of average blood sugar levels over a two to three month period

Another study looked at the effect of including 60 grams of almonds a day on maintenance of blood sugar levels and cardiovascular disease factors. It was found that almonds can help lower fasting serum glucose level (which measures blood sugar levels after fasting) by 6% and HbA1c by 3%.

A recent study investigated the effects of adding almonds to the diet for 12 weeks on diabetes and heart disease risk factors in 21 American adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Participants in the almond-consuming group experienced nearly a 30% reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels compared to those who did not consume almonds.