Diabetes is three times as common today as it was in 1960. That’s particularly bad news not only because diabetes is a life-threatening disease in its own right, but also because it increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and memory loss and other kinds of mental deterioration. Diabetes is a condition in which the body can no longer produce enough of the hormone insulin to lower blood sugar to normal levels. In non-insulin-dependent diabetes, also known as type 2 diabetes, the cells gradually become less responsive to insulin, so the body cannot properly use the insulin that it does produce. This decline in responsiveness, called insulin resistance, is caused in large measure by a poor diet and lack of exercise. The good news is that, according to research, type 2 diabetes can be prevented with healthier eating habits and regular exercise.
The single biggest risk factor for type 2 diabetes is obesity. It’s no coincidence that the rates of both diabetes and obesity have soared since the 1970s; most experts believe it is the increase in obesity that has triggered the increase in diabetes. More than half of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three-quarters of all people with type 2 diabetes are or have been overweight. Overeating in general can cause type 2 diabetes, but certain types of foods in particular can also affect your risk.
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Carbohydrates
The leading dietary villains in diabetes appear to be carbohydrates with a high glycemic load. Several studies show that people whose diets have the highest glycemic load — from eating a large proportion of such foods as sugars and refined starches — also have the greatest risk of diabetes, suggesting that foods with a high glycemic load probably contribute to the development of diabetes.
Foods with a high glycemic load can promote diabetes in two ways. To begin with, they have a roller-coaster effect on blood sugar. That is, they leave you feeling hungry after just a few hours, which can make you overeat and ultimately make you overweight. In addition, a steady diet of foods with a high glycemic load may cause diabetes by setting up a cycle of repeated surges of blood sugar and excess insulin production. The more foods you eat that have a high glycemic load, the more likely you are to overload your blood with sugar, spurring your pancreas to pump out large amounts of insulin. This cycle may ultimately wear down the cells that make insulin, causing insulin output to drop and resulting in high blood sugar, a hallmark of diabetes.
Foods that protect
Three types of foods seem to guard against the development of diabetes: high-fiber cereals, polyunsaturated fats, and, unsurprisingly, foods with a low glycemic load. A small amount of alcohol appears to be beneficial, too. In the Nurses’ Health Study, the risk of diabetes was low among women with a very specific dietary profile: They ate a lot of these beneficial foods and very few saturated fats, trans fats, and foods with a high glycemic load. Women with these eating habits who had normal weight, exercised for at least half an hour a day, didn’t smoke, and had at least half a drink of alcohol each day had a risk of diabetes that was a mere one-tenth that of women who didn’t do these things. In other words, 90% of cases of diabetes could be prevented with a healthy diet and lifestyle, including exercise.
Today’s experts recommend a diet that protects against heart disease and obesity as the best choice for persons with diabetes. That means limiting foods with saturated and trans fats such as meats and high-fat dairy products and commercial baked goods like cookies, chips, and cakes. Reduce consumption of white starches and sugars and eat more whole grains, fiber, fruits and vegetables, and nuts.Your Diet and Diabetes Good Choices Risky Choices
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