Going for the grains may cut diabetes risk

[Glenn]

(Reuters Health) - In the long run, men who chow down on a diet
rich in whole-grains may reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers
report.

According to a study in the August issue of the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, whole-grain products--such as brown rice, oats, corn
and barley--were protective against diabetes. Men who ate the most
whole-grain products were less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
than men who consumed mostly refined grains--like those found in cookies,
doughnuts, pasta or white rice, the study results show.

Because whole grain results in lower levels of blood glucose (sugar), the
body does not have to produce as much insulin to process the food. Refined
grains, on the other hand, result in more than double the amount of sugar
in the blood and cause more insulin to be secreted than whole-grain products.

And experts point out that whole grains contain vitamins and nutrients that
may be important in modifying the risk of the disease.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body fails to respond to insulin, the
hormone that clears the blood of sugar after a meal and deposits it into
cells to use for energy. High blood sugar can increase the risk of
complications from diabetes such as heart disease, kidney failure and
blindness.

"Efforts should be made to replace refined-grain with whole-grain foods,"
writes Teresa T. Fung of Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts and
colleagues.

The team of researchers looked at the eating and lifestyle habits of nearly
43,000 healthy men and followed them for roughly 12 years.

At the end of the study period, 1,197 men had developed type 2 diabetes.
Men who consumed the least amount of whole grains, about 0.4 servings per
day, were nearly 60% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared with
men who consumed the most--about 3.2 servings of whole-grains per day.

In other findings, Fung's team discovered that the benefit of eating whole
grains wasn't just limited to lean men. Obese men who were getting exercise
and consuming whole grains were 52% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes,
the authors report.

"Given the current overall low intake of whole grains, efforts should be
made to decrease the cost and increase the availability and consumption of
whole-grain products," Fung and colleagues conclude. "This has the
potential to reduce substantially the incidence of type 2 diabetes and
possibly other chronic diseases when sustained over time."

The National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association
funded the study.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition