Are Carbs Causing Type 2 Diabetes?

Many people live successfully with Type 2 diabetes: they chose to take control over their life. Positive effort then guarantees the results they are looking for: lower blood sugar levels and weight loss. There is no way to guarantee results without effort. This understanding is essential because it means you recognize there are no shortcuts to achieving meaningful goals. If there is a meaningful health goal you would like to achieve, the best way to ensure you will make progress is through long-term commitment.

Chronic kidney disease is a severe complication of Type 2 diabetes. Plasma triglycerides, or blood fats, tend to be high in many people who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Could there be a connection? Scientists at Khon Kaen University in Thailand and several other research facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, have found a link between the two. Their work was reported on in February of 2018 in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.

According to scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, drinking coffee can lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Their work was published in March of 2018 in the journal Nutrition Review. The researchers put together the information found in thirty studies and analyzed the information as if it were one study. They found individuals who drank five cups of coffee each day had a lower-than-average risk of developing Type 2 diabetes when compared with the rest of the participants. The group who drank five cups of coffee daily were also less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those who drank no coffee whatsoever. The results were similar for regular coffee and decaffeinated coffee. From this information, the investigators concluded drinking coffee lowers the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

There are two significant challenges to implementing sustainable change in your lifestyle. The first is getting started. If you have listened to a friend describe their “plan” to exercise, eat healthily, or improve their health status, you have probably thought how easy it sounds. How often has it happened? While some follow through, unfortunately, many do not. That is because it is easier to have the vision than it is to execute the plan. Change is never simple, but it does make a difference especially for anyone who has Type 2 diabetes or heart disease. The second challenge is maintaining the effort required to see the change through.

Scientists at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and several other research institutions in Beijing, China, found black-grain wheat improved blood sugar control and lowered inflammation in people who had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Their work was reported on in the journal Therapeutic Clinical Risk Management in February of 2018.

One food many people with Type 2 diabetes find themselves avoiding is the banana as they are thought to be very high in sugar and calories and, as such, a fruit to avoid. This, however, is not necessarily the case. The fact of the matter is the banana can be a very healthy food to include in any diabetic’s diet for several reasons. The critical thing to remember is to pair it with a protein source or a fat source. Adding protein will slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream, ensuring you are not going to get the sugar spike you otherwise would.