Pistachios Offer Protection for People With Diabetes

By Diane Fennell Research has indicated that eating pistachios along with a high-glycemic meal may help lower after-meal blood sugar response, particularly in people with metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors that raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes). Now, a small new study from Penn State University suggests that these nuts may also improve heart health in people who have Type 2 by reducing the body's cardiovascular responses to everyday stress. Heart attack and stroke are the leading causes of death in people who have diabetes. To evaluate the effects of pistachios on various aspects of cardiovascular health, researchers recruited 30 adults, ages 40–74, with well-controlled Type 2 diabetes. After two weeks eating a typical American diet containing 36% fat and 12% saturated fat, the participants were randomly assigned to eat one of two diets for four weeks: A standard low-fat, heart-healthy diet consisting of 27% fat and 7% saturated fat, or a moderate-fat diet consisting of 33% fat and 7% saturated fat that included two daily servings of pistachios (roughly 3 ounces, or 150 nuts). After a two-week break, the participants were assigned to eat the alternate diet for the following four weeks. At the end of each four-week period, the researchers measured blood pressure and total peripheral vascular resistance (a measure of how much resistance the blood encounters while flowing through the vessels — higher resistance equals a higher w...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs