Nutty Diet May Ward Off Diabetes

Study: Nuts Not Linked To Weight Gain

CHICAGO -- A new study suggests that eating a lot of nuts or peanut butter may help ward off diabetes.

Harvard University researchers looked at data on more than 80,000 women. Some reported eating the equivalent of a handful of nuts or one tablespoon of peanut butter at least five times a week. These women were compared with women who rarely or never ate nuts or peanut butter.

Sixteen years later, women in the five-times-a-week group were less likely to develop adult-onset, or type 2, diabetes. The results are published in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

And the more nuts the women ate, the less their chances of diabetes. Women who ate a serving of nuts one to four times a week had a 16 percent lower risk, while women who consumed five or more servings each week had a 27 percent lower risk.

Peanut butter was also helpful: Women who ate more than five servings a week had a 21 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to women who never or almost never ate peanut butter.

Nuts are high in unsaturated fat and contain fiber and magnesium, which may help maintain balanced insulin and glucose levels, the researchers said.

And although people generally suspect nuts will only pack on pounds, the researchers found no link between nut consumption and weight gain.

Type 2 diabetes affects about 16 million people in the United States and 135 million people worldwide, according to the article.

Additional Resource:

• Journal of the American Medical Association

Previous Stories:

• November 20, 2002: Pecans May Help Prevent Heart Disease, Cancer
• November 13, 2002: Peanut Allergies Linked To Soy Formula
• November 6, 2002: Can Peanut Butter Help Shed Pounds?
• October 31, 2002: High-Fiber Foods Curb Women's Appetites
• August 20, 2002: Almonds Could Help Lower Cholesterol
• April 22, 2002: An Almond A Day Could Lower Cholesterol

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