Less-processed whole grain foods can benefit people with type 2 diabetes

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In a study from the University of Otago, scientists found that eating less-processed whole-grain foods could improve blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes compared with whole-grain foods that were finely milled.

A whole grain is a grain of any cereal and pseudocereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm.

As part of a generally healthy diet, intake of whole grains is linked to a lower risk of several diseases.

In the current study, the team tested the effects of whole-grain processing, specifically milling, on blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Milling is a process in which grains such as oats, wheat, rice, and corn are dehulled and ground into smaller pieces or flours to improve palatability, reduce cooking time, and create food products.

During the milling process, the wheat grain gets fragmented into various parts that are separated when it is passed through the arrangement of sieves which is quite a bit complex.

In this study, the participants were assigned to two interventions of two weeks. They were asked to replace the grain foods they normally consumed with the intervention foods.

Intervention foods were nutrient-matched whole-grain products of wheat, oats, and brown rice that differed in their degree of processing (less processed vs. milling).

The team found that among 28 adults with type 2 diabetes who completed both interventions, there was no big difference in whole-grain intake and energy intake.

But after-meal blood sugar levels were 9% lower following breakfast and 6% lower following all meals of less-processed whole grains when compared with finely milled grains.

In addition, day-long blood sugar variability also was reduced.

The researchers also found the average change in body weight differed by 0.81 kg between the two whole-grain interventions.

The body weight increased during the finely milled intervention and decreased during the less-processed whole-grain diet.

Based on the findings, the team suggests that eating less-processed whole-grain foods over two weeks could improve blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes compared with an equivalent amount of whole-grain foods that were finely milled.

Dietary advice should promote the consumption of minimally processed whole grains.

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If you care about health, please read studies about vitamin K deficiency linked to hip fractures in old people, and these vitamins could help reduce bone fracture risk.

The research is published in Diabetes Care and was conducted by Sebastian Åberg et al.

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