The search for dietary factors and habits linked to development to diabetes is ongoing. Obviously, foods high in refined sugars, especially sweetened beverages, predispose one to this debilitating condition. As well, foods with a higher glycemic index, and lower magnesium and cereal fiber intake are also associated with increased risk. A large study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2005;82(3):675-684) outlines a specific dietary pattern that is linked to chronic inflammation and diabetes.
By following the dietary habits and measuring the serum markers of inflammation of 656 women with type 2 diabetes and 694 healthy women (case-control group) who were already participants in the much larger Nurses Health Studies, researchers discovered that there was a dietary pattern strongly related to inflammatory markers and diabetes in women. The diet was relatively high in sugar-sweetened soft drinks, refined grains, diet soft drinks, processed meat, but low in wine, coffee, cruciferous vegetables, and yellow vegetables. This pattern of food consumption predicted diabetes risk independently of body mass index and other diabetes risk factors.
These findings really come as no surprise, as most of these foods have been separately described in prior work. However, this is the first study to use a powerful statistical model to evaluate the entire diet, linking foods to inflammatory biomarkers, and demonstrate a very strong relationship to development of type 2 diabetes. It is important to note that obesity alone can induce a state of low grade inflammation, increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Posted by Kristopher Foster on March 16, 2006 11:16 AM
