by

James K. Robinson

Continuing scientific research into the effectiveness of natural foods such as nuts, especially almonds and walnuts, confirms their value as an agent in the fight to control blood sugar levels in type-2 diabetes. Several research studies have been carried out in recent years that show the health benefits obtained from consuming almonds and the protection they afford in relation to diabetes, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.

To cite just one of the controlled studies, published in May 2010 in the electronic pages of PubMed.gov, the research involved adult people with type-2 diabetes. The participants were divided into two groups with one group adding almonds to their diabetic food list of appropriate foods to eat and the other group not doing so. The almond eating group consumed about 2 ounces (60 grams) of almonds daily - that's about 50 nuts.

The 12-week randomized crossover clinical trial was designed to determine whether the eating of almonds would improve glycemic control and decrease the risk for cardiovascular disease

The lengthy details are given in the final report, but the positive results obtained from the clinical trial provided the following summary:

"Our results suggested that the incorporation of almonds into a healthy diet has beneficial effects on adiposity, glycemic control, and the lipid profile, thereby potentially decreasing the risk for cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus."

So, as expected, almonds and other nuts too, are shown to help the cause when having to deal with rising blood sugar levels in the case of diabetes, They also help lower the LDL, known as the bad form of cholesterol, and lower the risk of cardiovascular complications that often follow both diabetes and high cholesterol levels.

An additional benefit, as stated in the summary noted above, is the "effects on adiposity", meaning they can help combat obesity and it is well known that obesity leads to diabetes. In America today, both obesity and diabetes are being diagnosed at increasing rates, they are becoming epidemics that will place a heavy burden of costs for the health care of all Americans.

So we can conclude that almonds should be on our diabetic food list, they are inexpensive, especially in the "bulk barn" types of stores, and they are available from most food outlets.

Please note, some people are seriously allergic to nuts, especially some children, and every year accidental deaths occur from eating them.

And a simple caution regarding almonds and fat content
There is a type of fat -- it's a good fat called monounsaturated fat -- found in nuts that helps provide some of the protection we are seeking, but it should be noted that fat is higher in calories at 9 per gram than either the other nutrients, proteins and carbohydrates, that supply 4 calories per gram. So 2 ounces of almonds would provide about 340 calories.

Therefore, if a person decides to add almonds to the diet, daily or perhaps several times a week, it is important to adjust the daily dietary intake to account for the added calories - because excess calories lead to excess fat, not good for the diabetic or any other person.

In conclusion
Personally, as a type-2 diabetic myself, it does seem worth adding almonds to my diabetic food list. For variety, I would tend to mix almonds with other nuts, especially walnuts and perhaps peanuts, they are all good apparently. I don't dislike nuts but I know that 50 nuts is more than I can eat at one time so I would have to spread that many throughout the day, and probably not eat that many every day, maybe over a couple of days, but I am going to stock up - I need some help in better controlling my blood sugar levels.

When you are a diabetic like me, a type-2 for many years, it is nice to learn about almonds and their health benefits. For much more on the above topic please visit Almonds, Diabetes, and Cholesterol and for a more on other diabetes subjects, check out Diabetic Food List.