Diabetes type 2: Dr Zoe Williams discusses high blood sugar risks
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Type 2 diabetes is triggered by impaired insulin production. Your body either doesn’t produce enough of this hormone or the one it does produce isn’t sufficient. Deprived of this key mechanism, your blood glucose levels can reach dangerous heights. The good news is that you might be able to eat your way to a lower risk, according to research.
You must have heard about the old saying – an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Well, there might be something behind this claim as a study, published in the British Medical Journal, linked this small snack to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
When it comes to your diet, the golden rule is ensuring you get your five-a-day.
And there’s a good reason for this as fruit and vegetables are packed with fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and phytochemicals.
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The findings of this study also echo that message as the researchers found that different fruits, including the 15p snack, could be potent in staving off diabetes.
The research team looked at over 187,000 participants from various previous studies.
While these participants were disease-free at the beginning of the research, 12,198 participants went on to develop type 2 diabetes.
After adjusting for personal, lifestyle and dietary risk factors, the researchers looked at fruit consumption.
Considering a whole array of fruit, including blueberries, grapes, apples, bananas, peaches and more, they settled on the especially potent candidates.
A greater consumption of certain snacks like apples was “significantly” associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
If you’re not a fan of apples, other good choices included blueberries and grapes.
Although the fruit seems to show promising effects, fruit juice doesn’t offer the same benefits as the drink was actually linked to a higher risk of the blood sugar condition.
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Apart from cutting your risk of type 2 diabetes, the small fruit was also found to lower post-meal blood sugar levels.
Published in the journal Nutrients, the study looked at 18 women.
The participants were instructed to eat the fruit 30 minutes before a rice meal.
The findings suggested that adding this snack to a rice dish was able to “significantly” reduce blood sugar levels.
However, it’s important to note that this research only looked at a small sample of people so a larger-scale study might be needed.
What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?
Although the symptoms tend to be “general”, knowing what to look for could help identify the condition.
The main symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
- Peeing more than usual (especially at night)
- Feeling thirsty all the time
- Feeling very tired
- Unintentional weight loss
- Itching around your genitals, or repeatedly getting thrush
- Cuts or wounds healing slowly
- Blurred vision.
The NHS urges seeing a GP if you suffer from any of these symptoms or you’re worried that you may have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
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