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5 months ago
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A new study shows that a healthy diet is associated with lower blood glucose concentrations and a lower risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
This association was also observed in individuals with a high genetic predisposition to developing type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is known as a strong genetic disease that can be prevented and delayed by following a healthy lifestyle, such as diet and exercise.
“However, we have not really known whether a healthy diet is equally beneficial for everyone, that is, those with low genetic risk and those with high genetic risk,” says doctoral researcher Ola Tolonen from the University of Eastern Finland.
The study examined food consumption and blood glucose levels in more than 1,500 middle-aged and older men participating in the broader Metabolic Syndrome in Men (METSIM) study.
Food consumption was measured using a questionnaire, and blood glucose levels were measured using a 2-hour glucose tolerance test.
In addition, study participants' genetic risk for type 2 diabetes was recorded based on 76 genetic variants associated with risk of developing the disease.
Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland identified two dietary patterns based on food consumption. A healthy diet includes vegetables, berries, fruits, vegetable oils, fish, poultry, potatoes, unsweetened and low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese and whole grain products, such as porridge, pasta and rice.
This diet has been associated with lower blood glucose levels and a lower risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
The study also explored the effect of genetic risk for type 2 diabetes on associations with diet and glucose metabolism.
The association between a healthy diet and better glucose metabolism appears to apply to individuals with both low and high genetic risk of developing diabetes.
“Our findings suggest that a healthy diet seems to benefit everyone, regardless of their genetic risk,” Tolonen concluded.
English (US)