Type 2 Diabetes - Genes And Diet!

If we think of our genes as blueprints and our food as raw materials, we would not be surprised to find people of different genetic make-ups having different nutritional needs. According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition in November 2011, the best diet for preventing Type 2 diabetes could depend at least to some extent upon an individual's genes.

Study participants were given a diet containing 500 fewer calories than their usual intake for 2 weeks.

32 of the volunteers were given a diet containing soy protein, prickly pear, chia seed and oats for 2 months, while35 volunteers were kept on the original low-calorie diet.

All 67 volunteers showed a reduction in weight and their waist size:

those on the new diet had reduced: blood fats, lowered c-reactive protein, and a lower need for insulin by the end of the study.

The participants with a gene type called ABCA1 R230C had more weight loss and an increased level of blood adiponectin compared with patients having a gene type called ABCA1 R230R. C-reactive protein is associated with inflammation, and diabetes is an inflammatory disease. Adiponectin has to do with regulation of fatty acids and sugar and plays a role in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes.

It was therefore concluded taking genetics into account might some day be helpful in determining the best diet for any given individual.

In the mean time, since the participants with both types of genes had some improvement, let us take a look at the foods in the test diet. Soy has complete protein, containing all the essential amino acids needed for human growth and repair, making it as high in quality as animal protein, with less fat:

one ounce of tofu turkey, with 54 calories, 3 per cent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of iron and 1 per cent of the RDA of calcium.
one cup of prickly pear, or cactus fruit, (be adventurous) supplies 35 per cent of the RDA of vitamin C and 8 per cent of the RDA of calcium, at only 61 calories.
one ounce of chia seeds contains 4914 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 1620 mg of omega-6 fatty acids, plus 18 per cent of the RDA for calcium. (Be careful about the amount, though; that ounce has 137 calories).
a cup of cooked oatmeal, with 166 calories, supplies 12 per cent of the RDA of iron and 16 per cent of the RDA of fiber

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments