Eating eggs doesn't raise diabetes risk

An egg a day for breakfast probably won't increase your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

In the study, researchers failed to see a significant association between eating eggs occasionally or almost daily and the development of type 2 diabetes in nearly 4,000 older men and women.

While eggs are a key source of dietary cholesterol, they also contain a number of other potentially beneficial nutrients. To figure out the net effects of egg consumption as a whole food on type 2 diabetes risk, researchers looked at 3,898 Americans participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study. All were at least 65 years old when they enrolled in the study. During follow-up, which averaged about 11 years, 313 people developed type 2 diabetes, which is closely linked to being overweight as well as poor diet and lack of exercise.

No relationship was found between any amount of egg consumption and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. No link was found between dietary cholesterol overall and diabetes risk. While men in the top category of egg consumption, those eating eggs almost daily, were at increased type 2 diabetes risk, this increase wasn't statistically significant, meaning it could have been due to chance.

Other studies that have linked eggs to diabetes have found an association with very high consumption, generally for eating seven or more eggs a week. On average, participants in this study ate less than one egg a day, so there may not have been enough people with very high egg intakes to establish whether this was harmful.

The current findings don’t back any significant relationship between egg consumption and type 2 diabetes.

Source http://doctor.ndtv.com/storypage/ndtv/id/004545/type/news/Eating_eggs_doesnt_raise_diabetes_risk.html

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Could brown rice protect against type 2 diabetes

Researchers published a study report in the June 14, 2010 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine suggesting that people eating brown rice or other whole grains may have a lower risk for type 2 diabetes than those eating white rice.

The meta-analysis of data on 40,000 male and more than 157,000 female doctors
and nurses who participated in three long run studies found high intake of brown rice was associated with lower risk of developing diabetes.

The researchers found doctors and nurses who ate at least five servings of white rice per week were at a 17 percent higher risk of developing diabetes than those who ate less than one serving per week. The different was considered significant.

One the other hand, those who ate 2 or more servings of brown rice per week were at 11 percent reduced risk pf developing type 2 diabetes than those eating less than one serving a month, the researchers found.

Dr. Qi Sun at Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital and colleagues, authors of the study, said all the associations were established after other dietary and lifestyle factors were considered.

Further the researchers estimated that if one third of a daily serving of white rice was replaced with the same amount of brown rice (about 50 grams), the risk of type 2 diabetes
could be reduced by 16 percent.

Another analysis suggested that if the white rice was replaced with whole grains as a group, the risk could be reduced by 36 percent.

In the United States, an estimated 20 million of men and women suffer type 2 diabetes and another 20 to 40 million people suffer pre-diabetes. The diabetes may be managed by using a healthy diet and some times also medications.

Type 2 Diabetes is a chronic disease in which a person cannot use glucose because he either does not produce enough insulin or cannot effectively use insulin. The disease can lead to a number of other serious chronic diseases including heart disease and cancer
, according to American Diabetes Association.

A health observer cautioned that the study by Dr. Qi Sun et al. is not a trial and it did not establish any causal relation between eating brown rice and lower diabetes risk. That means that eating brown rice does not necessarily reduce the risk. It could be that those who ate brown rice led a healthier lifestyle which overall has an positive impact on the risk.

Brown rice contains more fiber, vitamins and minerals than white rice. People generally view brown rice and whole grains as healthy foods, meaning there is a possibility that those who ate brown rice may be more health-conscious than those eating white rice, the health observer suggested.

Another limitation is that the subjects in the studies used no more than 2 percent of calories from rice, meaning that rice, no matter brown or white rice, is not a significant part of their diet. With this tiny intake, it is hard to believe rice could have such a significant impact on the type 2 diabetes, the natural health advocate said.

Source http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/2/Diabetes/could_brown_rice_protect_against_type_2_diabetes_1506100752.html

Group weight-loss helps cut diabetes risk

A new study has claimed that attending periodical sessions of weight loss programs in groups can benefit overweight or obese people and reduce risk of diabetes.

Researchers found that after a 6-month Weight Watchers group program, overweight or obese adults who attended at least 66 per cent of the weekly sessions, not only lost weight, but also significantly reduced glucose and insulin levels - important indicators of diabetes risk.

The program included education on a low calorie diet, exercise and weekly group support sessions.

The fact that participants who attended regularly improved the most only reinforces the importance of group therapy.

"We know that previous research programs have successfully reduced diabetes risk using intensive lifestyle treatment," said Kathleen Melanson, study co-author.

"But what we didn’t know is that a program that costs appreciably much less than specially-designed diabetes prevention programs would have a profound impact on the same risk factors for type 2 diabetes. These findings could have important public health potential," Melanson added.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the total cost of treatment of diabetes in the United States exceeds 200 billion dollars, making treatment and prevention a priority for healthcare experts.

Experts say that individual lifestyle interventions could reduce the risk of developing diabetes by more than fifty percent.

Karen Miller-Kovach, chief scientific officer for Weight Watchers International, said: "Individual lifestyle intervention is obviously successful in reducing the risk for diabetes, but it comes at a high cost, and may not be realistic for all Americans.”

"We're encouraged that the Weight Watchers program, already successful for helping millions of Americans lose weight, could also have the potential to reduce disease risk and even help reduce healthcare burden, for as little as about forty dollars per month, per person."

The study will be published in this month's American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine .